


Knitting a home for Tali

by debbystitches



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-06-21 03:18:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 26,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15548430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/debbystitches/pseuds/debbystitches
Summary: After living in Paris with his daughter there just might be someone that can take Ziva's place.





	1. Chapter 1

I had flown to France to source so new fibers. In a park I encounter the most adorable little girl. She has long auburn hair. she’s speaking a mix of English, French and Israeli. She’s very interested in my yarn and needles. I’m knitting an elephant, but not the usual gray elephant. I’ve used a variegated yarn I found and I have disbursed beads in strategic places. I think as I move the piece, the crystals and glass sparkle and catch her eye. A well dressed man with an American accent calls for her and she shoots him looks over her shoulder but never yells back to him. Folding his paper, he stands and walks over to us. He’s tall with a shaggy hairdo like he’s about 2 months late for a hair cut. He has on loafers and dark washed jeans with a long sleeve Henley shirt and jacket that are the same color, my insides flip as he walks toward us scowling. I glance at him as I speak to the girl about the piece and what I am doing. I apologize to the man as he approaches. 

“I’m so sorry about distracting her. She’s interested in the beads and I just cannot turn down the chance to teach another person about yarn.” I keep babbling, “see here’s the head and soon I’ll add legs here and here. Finally, after leaving places for the legs, I’ll make the tail and tie it off. I show her the mock up of an elephant rear end from my bag. The tall man laughs as he sits on the other side of the pile of bags I have on the bench with me.  
“you carry an elephant’s butt in your purse?” he jokes. I look at him and nod in that, yeah, I carry everything with me, kind of way. He smiles showing the perfect number of teeth, the smile glows through his eyes too. The young girl takes the part and places it on her head. I laugh and tell her it is too small for her. 

Holding my needles in my left hand I extend my right and introduce myself. “Hello, I’m (y/n) from Oklahoma or you can call me the knitty American lady” The American takes my hand in both of his and says, "Hello (y/n) the knitty lady, I’m Tony and this is my daughter, Tali.” He lets go and Tali extends her hand and I take it with the hand still tingling from her father’s touch. Tali is very interested in the rest of my things and I start talking about them. Her father eases back on the bench to listen. Soon his lap is filled with my treasures as Tali moves them to look at new things. She makes room for herself on the bench the passes things that interest her to her father. The things that don’t intrigue her drop into a bag at my feet. We’re still sitting there when I hear a stomach rumble. I look up and notice that the sun has set and the shadows are very long. I apologize for detaining the father and daughter from their evening plans. Tony shakes his head and says they were only going to a local bistro for dinner. He invites me to join them and I look at my bags. “I really should return to my hotel and prepare some of these things for shipping” “Nonsense, you should eat first and room service and packing tape cannot compare to Marcel’s.” I again look around and say I couldn’t impose. Tony insists I “won’t be imposing. I could have my own table, Tali and I will sit at the next one so you don’t feel crowded.” I laugh and agree to the plan, “my bags will take up the floor space of a table for 6” I add.

Marcel’s is a small place with a long banquette along one wall with tables evenly spaced along it and chairs on the near side of the tables. Tali takes my cuff and pulls me to the banquette where a table for 2 and table for 4 are together. Pushing me toward the smaller table she allows a place for all of my stuff between us and tells her father to sit in the chair on the opposite side of the table but not in front of her. Searching through my things she takes some baby weight wool in green and purple hand painted splotches. She takes my ball winder, mounts it on the table and using her knees as a swift, starts winding a ball from the skein. Tony looks at her sideways. He starts to admonish her, and I stop him. “don’t” I say, “the instructions are on the winder and she can’t hurt anything making balls.” Realizing what I said I blush and look away. Tony chuckles and says there are some balls I would rather she not learn about, but I guess yarn is okay for now.” He allows me to order for myself and makes a few suggestions when I ask about peppers. He asks if I want wine and I say I don’t usually order it. “What? Here in the best wine country in the world, you insult them and order a cola?” I look chastised and say, I’m a lightweight when it comes to wine and I don’t want to be wandering around the streets with all my stuff 3 sheets to the wind.” Tony agrees but suggests a flavored water instead of cola and only one glass of wine. Tali, finally moving close to me hands me the ball and once again in her mix of languages asks what she can do now. I think. I pull a small wooden sock loom from a box in my purse. I then take a hook and push my bags aside, so she can sit down. I wind the yarn around the pegs and show her how to pull the lower one over the upper one. Once she goes around the rectangle I show her how to wrap it again. With her tongue sticking out she wraps the yarn and pulls the bottom loop over the top loop. We watch her for a few minutes as she makes her first round on her own. Completing the round, she smiles brightly and shows us both her accomplishment. Tony praises her work and I agree. He asks me what I’m doing in France. I share, “I’m looking at new fiber suppliers for my store in Oklahoma.” 

“I’m amazed you would come all this way.” He says then takes a drink of his flavored water. 

“I make one trip a year to find new suppliers, this year I decided to take a month in France. I was here for fashion week with a friend, he collected information about weavers and their suppliers and what else those suppliers did. I had a list as long as my arm. For the last week I have been searching out local yarn shops and looking at their selections. I buy trinkets or things I didn’t bring with me and want to use. Like the loom Tali has, I thought it would be perfect for my giraffe’s neck, I have something similar to do the legs.” 

“Those things seem to be popular I cannot tell you how many of those hats, Tali has collected as gifts.” I agreed and then reaching into my purse, I showed him the house shoes I created out of some chenille I had purchased. The shoes were the same color as his eyes I noticed. Slipping his hand inside one he commented on how soft and warm they were. I thanked him and asked, “Would you feel awkward if I offered them to you?” He crooked his head just a little, thinking. “No, I don’t think I would.” He responded. “Thank you.” He says and tucks them into an inside pocket of his jacket. “I am so glad because this night is a great gift to me and I was taught to bring host gifts and Tali can keep that loom and yarn. If you look on line there are a lot of patterns specifically for looms. She’ll learn another language, pattern abbreviations.” Tony smiled and asked more about me but our food came and I had a chance to change the subject. I asked about Tony and Tali. Tony explained that they recently moved to Paris after spending some time in Israel. He mentioned that Tali’s mother was killed in a horrific fire then he choked up a little and looked away to gain control of himself. 

I apologized for bringing us such painful memories. We continued to make small talk and cajole Tali to put her stitching down and eat. Finally, she did as she was told. She ate slowly with graceful movements and tiny bites. She announced to her father she was full then returned to her project. The night went on with courses and drinks. After dessert I mentioned calling a taxi to get me back to my hotel. Tony offered to walk with me but I didn’t want him to have to carry Tali all that way and back if she grew tired. He shook his head, “my father lives upstairs and I just saw him go by to get to his apartment. I’ll take her up there and then I’ll help you carry your bags. A bumpy car ride will not help you digest a fine meal like this. You need to walk to keep the body happy.” I smiled and agreed. He gave the waitress his credit card and went upstairs with his daughter.” I repacked my bags so that they would be easier to carry. Tony returned in less that 5 minutes. He gathered up bags for each hand and asked me which way as we exited the restaurant. I pointed left, we passed the park then turned the corner to my hotel. I had him leave my bags with the bellman. 

Thank you again for the wonderful evening. I said looking up into his handsome face. He smiled and thanked me for being a wonderful companion. He offered me his hand to shake in good bye. I took it and he raised my hand to his lips and kissed it. I was flabbergasted by the move. I just stood there giggling. I reluctantly slid my hand from his, said good night then turned to the stairs.


	2. My final days in Paris

The next morning there was an invitation to breakfast at the same café. I joined Tony and his father for the meal. “Tali slept with her loom last night. This morning she was up and stitching before I sent her off to school.” I laughed. I relayed my own sleeping with a project story. “I went to sleep knitting a sock using my double pointed needles like I have for my elephant, two had come out of the knitting and were broken beneath me when I awoke the next morning.” The men laughed. I told them I never finished that sock. We laughed again. Tony’s dad, who preferred to be called, Senior, asked about my life in the states. I told him about opening the yarn store one year with some savings. Then buying buildings on the block I was currently on and moving a café from across the street into the building. It’s perfect a spouse that doesn’t want to shop in the yarn shop, quilting store or gallery can go have coffee while their partner enjoys themselves. We have the “oh their shopping” specials things that take a long time to prepare or eat so no one gets rushed into making decisions.” The men thought that was clever. 

Sr, excused himself after finishing his meal. He wanted to get to his pals before the wives called them out of the park to run errands. I exchanged good byes with him. Tony turned to me after hugging his dad. “So what is on your agenda today and do you mind some company?” I looked at him warily, “Are you sure you want to hang out with me?” I asked. Tony said, “Sure, I have nothing else to do for the next 5 hours until Tali gets out of classes” I shook my head, “5 hours isn’t much time.” We began our trek to an obscure market. Tony asked me where it was and then led me down a few alleyways to cut our distance. I found beads and other things I just had to have.” Tony helped me bargain for my things. We talked about business and his former line of work. I commiserated with him about retiring before he was ready. “I did the same to raise my boys. When their dad died and my granddaughter went to school, I went back to work out of boredom. The boys didn’t really need me home during the day. They’re almost grown and were doing their own errands. I opened one shop, then another then the last one just this spring. Tony stopped in the middle of the market and said, “you’re a grandmother?” I laughed and said “yes. I had my oldest early in my life and he has a daughter, that makes me a grandmother. I was 38 when she was born. Not as young as my mother when I made her a grandmother but young enough.” Tony said, “Early, you mean like at the age of 12?” I thanked him for the compliment but said no 17.” He did the math. “oh so your about my age. I had you younger in my mind.” I laughed again. I said I can do one better than that. I raised my skirt to show a scar on my right leg. “This grandma had a knee replacement last year.” “oh so you’re like 65?” He teased. I scoffed at the suggestion and said, “no just 48 with a nasty knee injury in my childhood.” We went on to trade childhood injury stories until my phone rang. Doing the math of time differences I knew my youngest was looking for permission to do something. Hello, kiddo I said. My youngest son greeted me then started talking about his computer and I cut him off. “I don’t want to talk about this right now and I cannot buy it for you when I’m over here. I’ll see you in 3 days, love you.” I apologized for being rude and answering the phone. Tony said he understood he was the same way with his father and a few friends in the states. I asked him about his friends. He told me about his former co-workers. I knew one. A Navy corpsman had gone ballistic at a fishing tournament and took out some of the participants. Gibbs had been delivering a boat in the area and helped out on the case. “He was great. Very kind and very direct about the investigation.” My husband was one of the victims, so was my ex, my oldest’s dad. What a fluke that they were there at the same time.” Tony offered his condolences. In the end it was ruled that the poor sailor had a traumatic brain injury which pushed him over the edge. I’m sad that I lost my husband and my sons lost their father. I have become a big tbi care advocate though.” 

Tony said, “that’s admirable, you haven’t become bitter about it.”

“I was a little lost but a friend that was stomped by a horse in early 2001 reminded me, she was homicidal in the beginning. She’s lived with the challenges for the last 17 years and evolved coping mechanisms. This sailor should have had better care and perhaps monitoring until things evolved for him. I’ve followed his progress in jail. He’s getting the help he needs now and better medical care than he was capable of seeking when he was on his own. I make sure his neurologist keeps all the appointments. I used this a teaching moment for my boys too. They had to forgive the man because his head was messed up like their own processing problems. They related to those terms since they are gaming enthusiasts”

Tony and I had a light lunch on a bench in the same park where we had met the previous day. I demurred at the invitation for dinner again. I really needed to pack and ship my treasures and it required a lot of paperwork. Tony seemed reluctant to part but I agreed to lunch then next day. My time was short, and I didn’t want to spend my last days alone packing like I had the last year. When Tony and I parted he again kissed my hand, meeting my eyes with a twinkle of mischief. 

I managed to box all my purchases, label them and get the bellman to take them down to the parcel service the next morning. I was almost completely packed to leave the next day. I had slipped into a comfortable wrap dress and slip on shoes to meet Tony for lunch. He took me to a very nice restaurant where we sat at a secluded booth. We talked more about family and future plans. Tony said he had a trip to the States planned for the holidays. He wanted to see his friends then return via England to see another friend that had recently moved there. He asked what we usually did for the Holidays. I told him I was going to New England to see my sister and so my boys could see their dad’s family that lived in New York. He suggested a date and I shook my head. I told him things were pretty complicated with my boys and I wasn’t sure I could really get away. He wasn’t deterred he said think about it and we exchanged email addresses and phone numbers. Our conversation was a little strained at the end of the meal because I knew he felt a little rejected and I was conflicted. We parted once again with Tony kissing my had and the sparks were back in his eyes. I was so excited to get home I almost couldn’t sleep the next day. Reading my email waiting for the boarding I found one from Tony.

(Y/n),  
It’s 2 a.m. and I couldn’t sleep. I had been thinking about you all evening and knew I needed to get this into words before I could sleep. You touched me with your story. I am intrigued by you. Please give me a change to get to know you. I know being so far apart might have some obstacles but for now, let’s visit via email or phone calls and see where this goes. I don’t think I can just let you fly out of my life. I have let too many chances pass me by to let this happen again.  
Warmest regards, Tony.

I was taken by surprise when my heart leapt reading the words. I had to board the plane, so it was well into my flight when I was able to take my laptop out and start writing a response. 

Tony,  
I will agree to trading emails and phone calls as long as you are interested in doing so. I found it hard to sleep last night too. Honestly that may have had something to do with going home. I look forward to hearing from you. Remember I’m 7 hours behind you. I basically get my time back today so maybe I can sleep tonight.  
Warmest regards as well, (y/n)

I just barely made my connection to Dallas and missed the one to Tulsa altogether. Instead of staying the night, I rented a car and drove the 6 hours home. The boys and my niece were happy to see me. My niece was on the phones though and couldn’t take the time to talk. She went back to her computer and headset. The boys and I talked for the rest of the evening and my phone rang at midnight.


	3. Long distance knitting

I was taken by surprise when my heart leapt reading the words. I had to board the plane, so it was well into my flight when I was able to take my laptop out and start writing a response. 

Tony,  
I will agree to trading emails and phone calls as long as you are interested in doing so. I found it hard to sleep last night too. Honestly that may have had something to do with going home. I look forward to hearing from you. Remember I’m 7 hours behind you. I basically get my time back today so maybe I can sleep tonight.  
Warmest regards as well, (y/n)

I just barely made my connection to Dallas and missed the one to Tulsa altogether. Instead of staying the night, I rented a car and drove the 6 hours home. The boys and my niece were happy to see me. My niece was on the phones though and couldn’t take the time to talk. She went back to her computer and headset. The boys and I talked for the rest of the evening and my phone rang at midnight. 

Tony was concerned that I hadn’t returned his email answering my email. I explained that I had driven home from Dallas, so I had not checked my email. I teased him about being worried over someone he barely knew. He answered that he had checked with the weather service and saw there had been severe storms over Texas and Oklahoma. I laughed and said, I know I followed it home. He asked about my drive. I explained that my Texas rooted relatives usually drove through Okmulgee and through some small towns in southern Oklahoma, but I like taking my back road adventures from Guthrie into Stillwater and around Sapulpa to get to my house in Sand Springs. I pulled up a google maps and sent him a trip map. He pulled up the message on his computer and said he had never thought of traveling through Oklahoma. I regaled him with attractions in each town I drove through then I touched on things to do in Oklahoma City. “My favorite things to do are wander the Arts district in Tulsa when I’m restless. There’s a place called the Box Yard that I can leave the boys to hang out then I can stop at bars and galleries. When I’ve hit my limit. I call for my ride home and wait for them to come pick me up. He asked about my boys. I told him, “my oldest, his wife and my granddaughter were on their summer trip to NY at the moment. They left this morning. We were supposed to meet at the airport, but I missed my connection. The younger two were glad to see me and had thousands of questions but eventually the novelty of mom wore off and they drifted off to bed.” He asked about my plans for the next day. I told him I would only be running family errands for the next two days then I would be back to running the business part of my life again come Monday. I told him in needed to take my youngest’s scooter to the Harley Davidson dealership for a repair. “ He hit a curb” i said while rolling my eyes. Tony laughed, “I think I heard your eyes roll all the way over here.” I agreed I had made the face. My niece waved at me as she passed through the living room and up the stairs to her room. I asked Tony to hold on as I moved from the living room with my laptop and cell phone and their charging cords to my bedroom. Tony suggested a video chat and I set my laptop up on my work table and sat in the rolling chair I had there. 

“I thought you were going to your bedroom he said. “ Turned around and said I am in my bedroom but this is my work space in my bedroom.” I explained that my bedroom had 3 zones. Half of it was my workspace one quarter was my sleep space and the final quarter was my home office. What you see behind me is my collection of patterns, memorabilia and keep sakes. Someone has been in here cleaning too. I moved my Ken doll from my machine to the space he was supposed to occupy. Tony laughed when he saw the doll in fatigues. I laughed too because they were a very old style fabric and the camo was way too big. I told him I was having some fabric printed to update the uniform and how I had made the boots myself. I put Ken back in his place and yawned. Tony realized that was tired from my drive and jet lag. He signed off. I showered in the master bathroom and dressed for bed. About 2 in the morning I heard my email ping from my laptop I smiled but stayed in bed. I dreamt of another walk with Tony, but we were here trailing along the river.


	4. Surprise visit

When I awoke I didn’t stop to check my email. I was being rushed by a pushy teen that wanted his ride back. I asked him if it was loaded and I heard his eye roll in the “yeaaaasssss, mother” he gave me. Slipping into shorts and a t-shirt and finding my walking shoes I headed out to the truck to drive to the dealership. We left the dealership and crossed the road to an antique mall I liked to find old quilts in. I used them for display in the gallery and in the quilting shop. Rich found a few things he wanted for his room and we made arrangements for them to be held until I could come back with the truck. We waited around until lunch time when we went to a local pizza buffet which had a game room. Rich pulled a wad of ones out of his wallet and left me at the table alone. I was sitting in the far corner, so no one could see the email from behind me. I opened my lap top and found the email there.  
(Y/n), 

I am so glad you took the time to talk to me last night. I had been so worried when I saw the weather report. Now that I know you are safe I just can’t stop thinking about you. Last night I was walking Tali home and she asked if we could see a video of how to bind off. We sat for an hour replaying the video until she had mastered the technique but she wants to make an elephant now. Tell me what to get for her and I’ll see what I can do to get her started. Meanwhile, think of me because I’ll be thinking of you.  
Warmest, Tony

I pulled up a shopping site and ordered a little loom set for Tali and the beads I had been using and the yarn I knew she would like. Once my errands were run. The kid was back on his scooter. I had gone back for the items we bought in the antiques shop. I opened up my video capturing software and got out my youngest son’s portable cameras. I set myself up to teach Tali how to make her own elephant. My older boy came in to see how filming was going and I asked him to edit for me. He took the loom and followed my instructions then cut in pieces from the other cameras where he thought it would be better for a 5 year old to see at another angle. He recorded a few voice overs of me and we sent the video off to Tony with news that the looms Tali needed would be coming soon. 

Week by week I would send another video to Tali and do a video chat with Tony. Most days we exchange an email or two. One day I was particularly down and didn’t email Tony back that day. I really wasn’t feeling well so I didn’t answer his calls and put the phone on mute, so I didn’t get his texts. I had been laying on the couch late one afternoon when my door bell rang. There stood Sr. on my front porch looking haggard. I hugged him in surprise and had him come in and take a seat. About that time my aunt came out of the bedroom where she had been checking on one of my boys, I introduced her and then apologized because the house was a mess. Aunt Jackie had been busting her hump looking after me, and my two teenagers who had all caught the flu at the same time despite the flu shot. Sr. was smitten with her in her workout clothes from Victoria’s Secret and her newly styled hair. She had more of a Texas drawl because she had lived down south for a long time before coming home to stay. She scolded him that he would be infected. He peshawed her when she said he would catch the flu. He helped her in the kitchen cleaning and cooking and sat in the living room talking with her for the rest of the day and into the early hours of the morning. 

My aunt was a savvy woman, she made a call to my niece for reinforcements then took Sr. away to a hotel for the night. Since he had come from Vegas, she figured he needed a tamer place to recuperate than our own hotel and Casino locations. She took him to the down town Doubletree and got him set up in the penthouse. I didn’t see my aunt again for 2 weeks, by that time my niece had moved my bed and found my missing phone. She plugged it in and turned on the sound. It chimed and chirped for a solid 5 minutes. I had found a dozen emails from Tony and answered a few before exhaustion took over so I finally opened a video chat and called him. Tali answered the call and she said she had many questions. I asked to talk to her dad first and then got her to record her questions for me and I would answer her. 

Tony sat down at the desk, “hello there, dad was right you look like death warmed over.” “gee thanks Tony.” I replied. He laughed and I apologized. I had been so sick that I couldn’t think of anything but tissues and Gatorade. He said he understood and thanked me for hiring a private nurse to look after his father since I had infected him. “That’s my aunt, and I bet she did more playing nurse than really nursing. Tony gulped then busted out laughing. “My aunt is a spit fire. Poor Sr. doesn’t know what he’s tangled up with.” Tony said he wasn’t worried his dad was a handful too, so they were an even match. Tony said, “Tali’s off of school today so I’ll work with her on her questions and send them to you a few a days?” “I promise that I will answer them within 24 hours.” I replied. He said I didn’t have to worry. In my absence Tali had found a loom along and was cranking out a blanket with fun stitches in it week by week. “Your elephant is on a hiatus” he whispered. Then he says, “Sr. and his nurse have invited Tali and me to come stay with them for 2 weeks over Labor Day. Will I get to see you?” I said he would since Aunt Jackie lived in the house behind me. He said plans were almost complete and they would be arriving on August 13th. I laughed, “that’s more than 2 weeks over Labor Day!” Tony said “I know but Tali won’t wait any longer.” I told him to box up the elephant and mail it to me so Tali and I could work on it. He agreed that her knitting stuff needed to be packaged and sent over. We talked on for a while before Tali wouldn’t be put off and had to show me her new creation. I oohed and aaahed over it and asked if she wanted to bring it with her. She told me she would be finished with it before then and wanted to keep it on her bed. I agreed that would be best. She signs off and ends the video. I wait 5 minutes trying to get back connected with Tony. I get up to take a cooling shower. When I return to my desk I find that Tony has tried to call again then sent an email. 

(Y/n),

I have to say I’m very excited to see you again in 2 weeks. I find myself thinking of you often I watch your website to see if you have added anything new. I get jealous when I do because I know that you could have spent that time talking or writing to me. Then I remember that when you are working I’m sleeping and I am a little less jealous. Tali talks of you often as well and is looking forward to seeing you and granpere again. Your aunt Jackie has been treating her to videos as well.  
When you didn’t answer I found myself pulling up a video just to hear your voice. I’m afraid that I’m going to wake Tali listening to them sometimes. Maybe you could record just a few for me? Until the next time I hear you again. I’ll be thinking of you.  
More than warm regards,  
Tony


	5. Tony and Tali in Oklahoma

Tony and I went back to talking and emailing everyday for the 3 weeks before he arrived in Tulsa. Tali ran to me at the airport. She wrapped those tiny arms around me so hard I was surprised. She wouldn’t let me put her down, so I carried her to the car I had brought. We loaded into the car, as the driver whisked us across town, Tali talked non-stop. He and Tali came to my house for the first day. Tali and I worked on her elephant until she was hungry. I had introduced my middle boy when we arrived. Kevin cooked for us then brought her a plate. He called her princess, she loved it. She was gone then, following him around like a puppy. My youngest, Rich, came in from running errands and I introduced him to Tony and Tali. Tali fell in love all over again. She had 2 hansom boys giving her all the attention she wanted. Tony and I talked watching the teens treat their princess to treats and helped her with her elephant. Rich disappeared for a few minutes one time then came back with the little ring of wood and some kauter pins. He had counted the stitches around the leg openings and made her a custom loom to work on them. When Tali grew tired I took them to Aunt Jackie’s for the night because she and Sr. were late getting back from the lake.  
Once we had Tali unpacked and in bed for the night Tony and I sat out on the patio of old house where Aunt Jackie and Sr. lived. I told him about building my current house and the fun we had making things for the house. Aunt Jackie and Sr. came home. We sat out there talking so long that a neighbor finally turned her dog out to bark at us. Tony followed me into my house. We sat on the couch watching the lights dance across the pool from my sofa. He was impressed with the boys. I agreed they were fantastic today. “They have lots of practice though. One of my cousin’s has a boy about Tali’s age and another has a girl who is 3 now. I have 2 young nieces and a new nephew on their dad’s side of the table. Of course there is my granddaughter she’s 8.” It’s great to have the bigger kids to keep the little ones entertained when we adults tire of kid videos. There are plenty of babysitters too.” I stopped talking for a minute, Tony prodded me to go on. “This seems to be a little heavy to lay on you on our second date.” Tony said no, this was perfect. I went on. “My late husband’s brothers are kinda like their father. He had a family when he was young then started another one later in life. I did too, there are 12 years between the oldest and Kevin. Kevin and Rich’s dad was the oldest of the 2nd family. But there was 6 years between him and the next child is Lee who has 3 older kids and a new baby with his new wife. Melanie has one 2 kids as her first batch then 2 girls a little younger. Ned has an older girl then three younger kids about the same age. Ollie has only a young girl but soon I’m sure he will try fatherhood again. Holidays around here are crazy with in-laws and ex’s.” Tony said, “ you look a little sad?” “It’s hard to talk about the holidays without thinking of my late husband” I had to change the subject. “This year the lot of them are going to New York to be with their mom. I’ll be going too and taking my oldest, Tommy and his wife and girl with me. Jo’s family lives near Albany. It’s all so far away but so close too.” Tony agreed. “This trip to see my dad was impromptu but it almost felt like I needed to see him sooner than meeting him in D.C. at Thanksgiving.” He hesitated and I looked up at him. “He said the chance to see you, here where I have been trying to imagine you was really the decision maker.” Then Tony reached to touch my face. He moved from sitting turned toward me on the sofa to up on a knee his hand slid under my ear with his fingers in my hair and his thumb caressing my jaw. He leaned in for a kiss. Slowly and tenderly he kissed me then pulled back in shyness. I moved closer to him and put an arm around his back pulling him down into a kiss as he sat beside me. I turned more into him by putting my legs in his lap.  
Rich wandered to the top of the stairs then seeing me kissing Tony gulped loudly and returned to his room. He wasn’t quiet about it so Tony and I broke apart. Tony shifted uncomfortably for a few moments then started talking. “I guess he’s not ready to see you with someone else?” I shook my head, “It’s not that. He’s not used to seeing me with anyone. He’s not quiet either. In the mornings he’s like a heard of horses going up and down the stairs. Kevin can sneak around but Rich never learned how.” Tony laughed at my description but still didn’t seem to be comfortable kissing me again. We talked some more about the weather and plans. Tony yawned so hard I heard his jaw pop. I moved my legs then stood to walk him back to Aunt Jackies. I took him out the front door keeping the front screen door from slapping behind us. We walked around the house on the porch then took the steps by the garage down to the alley. He wouldn’t let me walk to the other house. He pulled me in for a deep kiss in the shadows of my house raised my hand to his lips then turned to cross the alley. 

I went back into the house closing the oak door behind me. I looked over to the kitchen seeing Rich drinking juice from the jug with the refrigerator door open. He looked at me sheepishly, “Sorry for disturbing you earlier.” “thank you kiddo.” I said. I turned to go past the stairs and down the hall to my room. My tablet was ringing when I walked in the room. I smiled sitting at my work table and hit the accept button. Tony smiled back at me. “There’s the view I missed today.” “I thought we could save the studio tour for later this week.” I responded. I moved the tablet from it’s stand to pillows on the bed. Tony was propped at my knees looking at my headboard behind me. He actually leaned sideways like he could see around me. I laughed at him and said “That’s all of my bed you can see tonight.” He thanked me for the day and the company while I put my hair up for the night. Seeing my top catch under my breasts caused him to catch is own breath and groan a little. I blushed and he said, “You look lovely in that shade of pink.” “yeah well, hopefully you won’t see that color again for a while.” I tipped the tablet up so I could remove my top and bra then slipped into my night gown. He complained that he could see the cracks in my ceiling when I brought the camera to see me again. He noticed the bright green lace straps immediately. “Hmmm, how far do those straps go?” He asked. I slipped one of them off my shoulder and said, “All the way down…” I pulled I moved out of his view again to take off my slacks. Tony complained again. “I got to see more of your headboard” he teased. He treated me to views of the wall and ceiling too as he made to get in bed. Finally he settled against the headboard in his room at Aunt Jackie’s. He asked about the room and I told him I had made that room over to be my room when Aunt Jackie decided she wanted to move in. She stayed down there a total of 6 weeks before taking the room upstairs away from Kevin. I knew then I had to get this place finished, so Kevin could have his view back.” Tony stopped talking at one point and I let his connection stay open until I knew he was fully asleep. Listening to his steady breathing lulled me to sleep.


	6. Chapter 7

I woke up to a dead tablet in the morning. There were voices in my kitchen when I went through the back hall after showering and dressing for the day. Tony and Tali were there with Aunt Jackie and Sr. Rich manned the toaster, Jackie was pouring milk and juice while Kevin pulled quiche from the oven and bacon off the stove. Tony was impressed. I told him that Kevin cooked like this most weekends so the boys could have breakfast to heat and eat in the morning. He learned that from me.” I bragged, “though I can’t make quiche.” 

Tony and I held hands most of the day while we toured the arts district down town. I shared a desire with him at the Center of the Universe. Tony insisted Tali take a nap after lunch so we headed back and I settled in the bed with her to stitch until she was asleep. I tiptoed out as Tony was tiptoeing toward the room. He said, “I have a question about my room. Could you come show me what this is for?” I rolled my eyes as I followed him into the room. He picked up a small remote. “what is this for?” I said push it and find out.” He made me promise that it wouldn’t set off some sort of alarm and wake Tali. I crossed my heart and he swallowed hard. The remote was for the fireplace in the room. He smiled in surprise then realized it was August in Oklahoma. It was 90* outside. There was no need for a fire. 

I slipped out of the room and out onto the porch before he turned off the fireplace and caught up with me. I sat on the swing and he joined me. Again, we were holding hands in seconds then he moved closer to put his arm around my shoulder. We watch the traffic go up and down the block. We aren’t really talking just being with each other. Tali wakes up too soon. We take her into the pool. Tony is focused on her when Tommy and Jo arrive. My grand daughter takes to Tali instantly too. They play in the shallows climbing in and out finding treasures around the pool. When the shade shifts and the glare off the water gets to be too much we get the girls to come in and clean up. I start frying chicken while Jo and Tommy work on veggies. 

Tony comes over to help when he notices Tali has Ken. Then he follows Tali and Ella into my room. Ella has my trunk open and she’s pulling out the Barbies, the clothes boxes and the accessories. The girls come back to the great room, but Tony has not. Kevin takes over watching the chicken and I head down the back hall. Tony is looking at the things I have collected in the book cases. He takes down books and trinkets. He’s about to take my rocking chair pin cushion when I warn him the drawer will fall out if he’s not careful. He takes his hands off of it and turns to me instead. 

“This place is awesome.” I introduce him to my favorite things. “My grandmother’s sewing machine. The chair I like to read in. “ The design table and my desk where my home office is. Then he looks at the headboard. He sees the designs I inlayed in the wood. “It looks like one of your quilts.” “It is a quilt sort of. I’ve laid out blocks and cut thin pieces of wood to match them and glued them to another board. Each of them are a block for a quilt I have made for family. Kevin has a train quilt across the foot of his bed. Rich has airplanes. This one is for Tommy although I crocheted his. This is for Ella. I made this one for Aunt Jackie. This is the embroidery pattern my grandma taught me before naps as a child. This is the dog that my grandfather made to hang under the mailbox with the house numbers on it. Tommy’s dad drew this for me before he died in Iraq. The younger boys dad inspired the eagle. Each piece comes out and I can move them around when I feel like it.” I moved to the designing table and showed him the layout for Tommy and Jo’s wedding patch. Tony was impressed. He pulled me to him and kissed me then. Tommy called down the back hall, “It’s ready” 

We ate talking boisterously until Tommy and Jo left. Sr and Aunt Jackie took the girls across the alley for a movie and popcorn with Jackie’s great grandson. Kevin had a date and Rich went to spend the night with a friend. Tony and I were alone. He asked more about my work. I took his hand and lead him back to my room. I placed him in my sewing chair then pulled out 2 albums. We flipped through my portfolios. He was complementary about everything. He again put his arm around me then turned his chair to face me sitting on a storage tub. He asked permission to kiss me that time. I smiled and leaned in to kiss him. When he pulled back from the kiss he laughed awkwardly. I suggested a movie and popcorn on the couch instead of necking at my work table. Tony looked at my bed longingly but agreed. We found an old movie playing on OETA. Tony dazzled me with his movie knowledge when the host asked questions during intermission. We watched the movie but talked in movie quotes for the rest of the night. It was hilarious. All too soon he was yawning and talking about how early Tali would be up. 

“you’re a good dad.” I said. “thanks, I’m glad someone thinks so because I really don’t know what I’m doing.” I touched his hand and he stopped. I understand what your feeling. I was raised in a family full of women, boys were a novelty when Tommy came along but as he grew and the other two came along. I totally feel out of my element most days. Shaving was a hassle, puberty I knew, Foreskins…” “On that note..” Tony went to stand up. I was a little nervous about watching him go again. I grabbed my keys as we walked to the door. Tony looked at me weirdly, but he watched me lock the door and I followed him to Aunt Jackie’s. I don’t like being in the house by myself sometimes, so I camp out in Aunt Jackie’s other guest room. She calls it our sleepover time. Now that your dad is here, well. We haven’t hung out as much. I’ll help with the little ones in the morning.” 

Joey was up looking for a snack when we went in. He excitedly hugged me and started whispering all about the movie and the girls. I took him to our favorite chair. The secret chair he called it. He climbed into my lap in the rocker recliner and I rocked him until he stopped telling me all his secrets. Tony had made his way into the guest room. He showered and made to go to bed. He turned out his light and I was going to sneak off to my hide a bed in the game room when Joey startled and started crying. I snuggled back down with him and Ella noticing the noise woke. She climbed in my lap too bringing her quilt. I covered us all. Ella said “sing gammie.” I started off with “When You wish upon a star, “for Rich” she whispered. I moved into “Just because 2 People fell in love” “for Kev” she added humming along. I moved to “If tomorrow never comes” “for da” she said yawning. She was waiting for her song but I didn’t think I could do it. Not right then. Ella said “peas in her little girl whisper and I started the song I wrote for her. “One little girl made the world come alive for one gammie. She showed her the stars again, the sky again, gammie felt alive again…” I sung in French and Tony sat up. I could see his shadow from the street light outside. He was listening. As I usually do at the end I will segue into I’ll Be. When I know no one is listening I usually move on to Because of You. One day I was really wound up so I began singing Buttermilk Biscuits. Tonight, I moved to lullabies instead.

I was still singing in my dreams when little elbows woke me. My granddaughter and my 3rd cousin were getting up for pancakes with chocolate chips. I stretched and rose. I followed them to the kitchen and took my usual position making cups. Milk and coffee served I kissed my Aunt got a hug from Sr. and I slipped out the back door. I was across the alley before Tony caught up with me. He kissed me so deeply with no preamble I lost my breath. Sr. called him back to the house, he asked if I was going to the zoo with the little ones. I bit my lower lip and agreed I would go.


	7. chapter 7

Tony and I followed behind the power walking older couple and the running to keep up little kids. Joey had picked up a few phrases of French when Ella bragged that she knew a lot of French. From that point on Tali and Ella used French to talk about Joey. Tony asked where I learned Ella’s song. I told him I wrote it. I had one for each kid, I told him but I haven’t sung any of them but Ella’s in years. He was impressed. I told him singing and counting stitches often went hand in hand in my family. Like our game of talking in movie quotes I could usually find a music verse for anything. He accepted my challenge. “Elephant’s on parade… was followed by “monkeys and tiger’s loop the loop….” Aunt Jackie got me going with her long necked pop bottle “long neck bottle let go of my hand…” Some of the animals had me stumped but eventually I could come up with something. 

We laughed and talked for the hours the kids wanted to wander and play. Ella was first to give in. She said she was ready for the train. We convinced the other two and the old folks it was time to take the ride back to the front of the zoo. We moved slowly back to the van. Relaxing into the driver’s seat, I turned on silly kids songs from my mp3 player. The kids were asleep by the time we got back to the house. They transitioned to napping spots in the living room with a video when I begged off to go get some work done. 

I had been in my work room for about an hour when Tony knocked on the front door. He had a bouquet of roses in his hand and asked if I would like to go out. I looked at how he was dressed and thought, where could we go? I dismissed each of the choices. The music wouldn’t be right or the setting didn’t seem to fit Tony’s style. Finally I said, yes, let me change. I slipped into a sundress and sandals. Then I led him through the house to my baby. I had a 15 passenger van, two super cab trucks, a mini van, three town cars but my favorite car was a 1971 Grand Torino. It was so dark blue it was almost black. Tony looked like his heart stopped for a second. The car wasn’t a muscle car per se, it had power but it was more of a sleeper muscle car. Many gear heads had laughed at me when I pulled up to a red light. TheY might rev their engine a little. Then I would make her pur, it wasn’t a normal rev. It was the dangerous low toned growl of a predator warning the listener to back off. Then I would smoke them off the line. We went to a drive in restaurant to pick up food. Then we went to listen to Jazz on the Green in Downtown Tulsa. I pulled a blanket and basket out of the trunk at the drive in. We used those to carry our food to a place to sit. We ate and listened. I waved at musicians I knew. A sultry blues singer came up for a few songs from the French Jazz age. Tony was gone. I put those on my play list for the car on the way home. Afterward we watched the people. I dropped Tony off at Aunt Jackie’s near midnight. We kissed good night and he once again kissed my hand. 

I walked in to a huge fight between Kevin and Rich. Tommy was there too. Kevin had called him when he couldn’t reach me. My cell was on silent so I could hear the music without interruption. Rich had a black eye and Kev’s glasses were broken. Tommy said, The neighbors are threatening to call the cops mom. Taking a slow calming breath I ask what was going on. "Kevin’s being a butthead" Rich screamed. "No I’m not your being a jerk” Kevin screamed back. "Enough" I growled. "Rich what happened?" “I wanted to play the new game Kevin had but he won’t let me.” Kevin said, “I can’t! You have to pay for each player and you don’t have a license.” Dang these video games were going to kill me. I turned to Kevin, “how much is the license?” Rich broke in, “I have a license I got mine before Kev got his remember?” “Rich it’s like having a copy of the game on cd each one has it’s own special code. We need to buy you a code.” “Where did you get your code Kev?” Kevin looked away “A friend bought it for me.” he said softly. Ah these online friends were also going to kill me. “Who is this friend. Kev?” “you don’t know him…” just then the sheriff’s department showed up. “Oh forever more” I said. I explained that the kids were fighting over a video game and were going to keep it down. They looked at Tommy. “My other son, officers. He was trying to keep the peace when I came in from a date.” “A DATE!!!???” Rich and Kevin shouted at the same time in the same pitch of voice. They sounded like me as a teenager. One officer shook his head and said, “single mom, huh? Sorry.” I apologized for the kids and watched the officers load into their cars. I sent Tommy home then I disconnected to wifi. Tony came to the door at that moment and two teenage toddlers stomped up the stairs to their rooms slamming the door behind them. An officer came back to the door behind Tony. I explained that he was a friend of the family staying at my Aunts and the deputies all left. Tony followed me in the house then sat at on the couch. I told him about my trouble with the internet, the mystery friends, and younger brother trying to have everything older brother has. He let me vent. When I was talked out Tony leaned in to kiss me again but I pulled back. He looked disappointed but he said he wanted “to get back to Tali.”

I followed him to the door and watched as he passed around the house and across alley into the shadows of Aunt Jackie’s house. I stand there looking out that window for long minutes while I try to get my thoughts in order. I take the wifi to my room and turn on my cell phone for a hot spot. I pull up my email but instead of reading the new emails I pull up the folder of Tony’s email. I’m torn. I’ve lost 2 husbands and I haven’t even thought of being with another man for over 10 years. I’m not sure I’m ready to take on a youngster though, if it got that far. I was getting a head of myself. Tony was just a friend. A very attractive friend could be a close friend but a future with a man that lives in Paris. Who would give up Paris for the Tulsa Metro area? Frustrated I left the tablet on my chair and went to take a shower. A cold shower.

Instead of going to bed move to my design table. I take the work for Tommy and Jo’s wedding and slide it onto a shelf. I pull out a new sheet of paper. I lay out a bench, a street light, some thick trees a path and the end of a slide. At the foot of the slide I put a knitted elephant. Going back to my tablet I snap a picture of the draft. Then I take my stylus and color my block in with a sketch program. I move to sketching more blocks from Paris by the time I’m done I have 12 squares designed. It’s daylight so I return the wifi back to it’s plugs. I send my pictures to the printer but they won’t print. I’m sleepy and frustrated so I email them to Jackie to print for me. I climb back into bed and slip my covers over my head.


	8. and here we go

Being the doting grandmother, aunt and niece, I was, I returned to Aunt Jackie’s house the next morning to check on little kids. Jo was there packing up little ones to go to the lake. In addition to my daughter in law, my sister and her grown kids were there. My sister had been putting the moves on Tony all morning and he attached himself to me with a warm kiss and long hug as soon as he could get to me. Aunt Jackie asked me if I wanted the things that had printed at her house as I sat beside Tony with a cup of tea. She dropped then in front of me and I started looking through them. Tony commented on colors or things that I didn’t get quite right in each frame. Tali joined us and added her thoughts about the squares. My sister shot me dirty looks until the group loaded up to go to the lake. 

I offered to drive Tony and Tali so we lagged behind. We took the long way out to the cove the family had chosen then thought again. Leaving Tali with Sr. and Aunt Jackie we went to the marina and pulled out the pontoon boat. Slowly we chugged to the public beach were the family gathered and then took a group out to float and swim away from the crowded beaches. Another cousin arrived with the speed boat and took people tubing or skiing then we motored back to the beach for food and naps. I took Tony and Tali out on the pontoon boat one more time as we retrieved my truck and then headed back to my house. Tali was very sunburnt. I convinced Tony we needed to pack it in to prevent further damage. 

After a cooling bath to get all the silt and sand off her tender body. Tony and I set her up on the sofa in front of the tv. I rubbed her sunburnt areas with an ointment left over from one of the boys major sunburns. We plied her with fun drinks filled with frozen fruit and juices like she was the lady of the manor. We gave her many popcicles and pain reliever until she finally drifted off to dream. I offered Tony the use of my laptop while I sat in a chair knitting. He agreed then took the laptop to the kitchen to fix himself a snack. I switched from the kids movie selections to the old black and white movies. I was deep into Tulsa when Tony came in from the kitchen. He thanked me for the laptop and then asked about the movie. We whispered about old films while Tali slept on. I began the movie again for him then went to pop popcorn and make nachos for the movie. I made a pitcher of limeade and then one of strawberry punch. By the time the movie had finished we had movie theater packages of candy spread on the ottoman with the leftovers of the other junk food. Tali feeling better scampered off to my room to grab Ken and his gals. She managed to make it through the back hallway into the guest room and had made herself at home on the large bed in the room. Tommy and Jo came by to get Tali for a sleep over about 5 p.m. that night. Tommy also told me the boys were staying at the lake since my sister had called for the RV to be brought to the lake. 

I looked at Tony and he looked at me and we collapsed on the sofa for more films. At sundown, Tony asked about dinner. I pulled two steaks from the fridge and let them sit to warm while I fired up the grill. I placed some fresh vegetables on the grill while I went back in for the steaks. In less than 20 minutes Tony and I had grilled veggies and steaks on the deck overlooking the pool. He had brought out a bottle of wine and a bottle of sparkling water. We talked about the day, and what else was coming up before Tony asked about music. I handed him my phone linked with the blue tooth speakers on the deck. He found a play list then asked me to dance. We slow danced to a few songs before Tony slid his hands into my hair and kissed me. Releasing me from the kiss, he was very honest when he said, “I think my heart will explode in disappointment if I don’t get to make love to you tonight.” I gave him a teasing look of pity then lead him to my bedroom. 


	9. chapter 9

I told the home control unit to leave the lights low. Tony and I fumbled with each other’s clothes in the shadows. Finally, I was free of my sundress, bra and panties as he stepped from his slacks shoes and socks. I stepped toward him shivering with desire. He wrapped me in his arms and kissed me gently. He moved carefully with me, we sat on the bed and he pulled my legs into his lap. I moved so he could scoot back on the bed. In careful movements we made it to the point where he was laying beside me. He was unwrapping the condom he had taken from his pocket. I offered to help but my shaking hands never made contact with his. He covered himself then settled between my thighs. We kissed and we touched until his gentle movements penetrated my folds. I shifted my hips to give him more access and he deliberately slid into my center a fraction of a millimeter at a time. He was kissing me at the same time, so my senses were on overload when Tony finally seated himself inside me. There was a guttural moan from him and he whispered. “I’m going to explode if you move,” gasping to regain his control, I spasmed around him and he chuckled, “you really don’t want to wait, do you?” I whispered back, “I’m not in control down there, those movements are my body getting to know yours. If I wanted to torture you I would do this…” I shifted my legs so that he was withdrawn enough that he wasn’t even making contact with my g-spot. A deeper groan came from him as he kissed my shoulder, my neck and breathed heavily in my ear. “oh, please don’t make me stay out here” he pleaded. I moved my legs and he slowly slid back into place. Again, he fought for control. I moved again but this brought him deeper inside me. He was fully seated in place and the pleasure of having him there sent me spiraling over the edge into climax. My whole body spasmed in delight. Tony found himself following me over the cliff into orgasm. He whispered terms of endearment in my ear as his body clenched in release and relief. 

We lay collapsed in a tangled heap for several minutes as we caught our breath. Tony went to apologize for the brevity of our love making when I stopped him. “I was more revved up than you were. I started climaxing as soon as your penis touched my folds. The anticipation has been about to drive me nuts most nights.” Tony smiled, “I turned you on that much?” I nodded my head then shifted so he could lay beside me. Tony lay back on the pillows beside me and acknowledged his own anticipation. I passed him some tissues and asked him to indulge me for a while. I needed time to recover before we made any more efforts to resume or part. Tony looked grateful. My night stand was a mini fridge. I offered him a cold bottle of water, sports drink or juice. He asked for a juice and a water. I took a sports drink for myself then turned on the television. The original Ocean’s Eleven was on my watch list and I had started it earlier in the week. My set up resumed the movie when I turned the electronics on. Tony shared his approval of the movie with a big smile. He then slid an arm around my shoulders, tucking me against his side and we watched the movie until we had recovered. Tony recovered faster than I did then he remembered he came equipped only with one condom. I touched and teased him for a while as he planned his foray to retrieve the package he had in his room at Aunt Jackie’s. Each time he mentioned getting dressed I would hold him tight with my hands. As he gave in to my pleasuring, I moved down his body and used my mouth to bring him to the edge of another climax. I asked him if he wanted to go get that condom now. He breathlessly said he couldn’t walk right now. I giggled and finished him with strong smooth strokes of my tongue and lips. Tony couldn’t talk for a long time after that. I handed him another water and juice then leaning over him I pulled a box of condoms from a drawer in the other nightstand. 

Tony was still in a bone melted state so he just whispered thank you and went back to trying to catch his breath. The movie was over and the player was asking me to approve playing the next movie in the queue. I flipped through my choices until I found “Sleepless in Seattle” Tony laughed again saying that was us. We watched the movie for a while until I needed to excuse myself to go to my en-suite. I pulled my robe from the bedpost and wrapped it around myself before I stood and left the room. Tony went to pull on his boxer briefs as I came back with a robe for him. I offered him the shower if he was interested and I pulled a night shirt from a drawer in my closet. Tony did make use of the facilities but did not take a shower. I offered him some pajama bottoms I had bought for Kevin before I realized my son had gained another 20 pounds over the summer. Tony accepted them, and we laughed over the collection of inspection stickers we found folded up with them. We went back to the bed and to the movie which I reversed to a spot I remembered seeing earlier. We talked, and I offered him canned popcorn from my new collection of tins on the far side of the bed. He was skeptical until I introduced him to the queso and salsa flavor. I also pulled a bag of Twizzlers out of the nightstand. Tony and I made a nest of snacks and sheets while we relaxed in our afterglow. Tony was stroking my hair when I drifted off to sleep against his chest. Tony muted the tv, moved the wrappers and bags off the bed then caressed my naked hip as he moved me off his chest and onto my pillows. He kissed me awake then moved down my body with his kisses and caresses until his tongue parted my folds. He shared his delight in the soft curls he found there. He commented something about redheaded beauty and dipped his tongue against my clitoris. As he nibbled, sucked and licked I squirmed with pleasure. Tony probed my depts with his tongue too managing to reach my g-spot. His constant pressure against my clitoris and g-spot had me crying out loudly in release as I spasmed locking my thighs against Tony’s ears. He continued until I was too overstimulated to touch. I sat up then moving my body away from Tony until I was practically sitting on my pillows. Tony crawled up the bed like a panther stalking his prey. 

He pulled a condom from the box he left on the night stand, covered himself with it and pulled my legs until I slid back down in the bed and into place. Still slick from him devouring me, Tony was able to slide back into place. I was still recovering from the last orgasm with small delicious spasms keeping the climax going when Tony started moving inside me. He moved steadily using his whole body to touch and caress mine. His hard chest and abs had soft light colored hair that tickled my skin. His tongue, thumbs and stubble kept my nipples taut until he would move his kisses and nibbles up my chest to my neck and face. My lips were chafed from the beard burn. Tony’s left hand was tangled in my hair and he could massage the base of my skull as well as tickle ear with his thumb. His other hand moved under my body pulling me closer to his body or lifting my leg to allow him to shift for an enticing angle of movement. Tony took his time touching, kissing and licking until his body was shaking with need for a release. He managed to get his hand free of my hair and he pushed up into a low plank then pounded into me for the final time. I yelled in excitement as my body shattered into ecstasy and quivered around Tony’s own shaking body. “Whoa-Ho, Man that was excellent” I just kept saying. Tony finally lifted his head and said, “Say my name.” I moaned “Tony” against his cheek as I pulled his head down. He thrust into me then said, “Say it again” I repeated it with a strong growl in it and he thrust hard into me again. “Again,” he commanded, and I complied we repeated the moments until I felt him shiver in pleasure and another release. My body responded to the explosion of the condom by clenching around him and pulling tighter and tighter until I finally shudder in another orgasm of my own. Tony slid off to my side. He realized that the condom had broken so he gasp in dismay. 

I put my hand on his arm then looked him in the face. “Tony, we’re safe, I can’t have anymore babies.” He looked at me puzzled. I let him roll away and clean himself up. He sat up on that side of the bed then reached for his robe and pajama pants. I touched his shoulder, “Tony, look at me please.” He turned to face me. I explained, “I had to have a hysterectomy in 2014. It’s not something I advertise to my potential lovers because I know condoms are for more than just preventing pregnancy. My gyno insists on testing his patients for everything each year. I have the test results from this year’s exam if you are worried about anything else. Tony shook his head. “I promised after Tali’s mother died, I promised myself I wouldn’t be that reckless again. But with you, I just needed that validation that it was me you were cumming for. It was me turning you on. Your shouts sounded so distant, so generic and well I got afraid I was standing in for someone else.” I climbed naked out of the bed. I kneeled at Tony’s knees, “I promise I was totally present for our lovemaking tonight. There were no shadows of another man in my mind. I haven’t thought of doing this with anyone else since I met you. I am not yearning for a lost lover. I have been yearning for you.” I raised my body against him and kissed him as fully as possible. Tony pulled me up into his lap. He buried his face in my hair and confessed. “No one has had my attention since I met you either. I’m not sure I can go back to France now. I’m not sure I want to travel away from you at all…” Tony stopped talking and I could hear him swallowing hard as he rocked us with his arms tight around me.


	10. Chapter 10

Tony stayed with me that night. He was dressed in fresh clothes when Tommy brought my grand daughter and Tali in the back door. Ella headed to my room for the dolls but Tali said they were in her, Tali’s, room. Tali led Ella to the guest room. The girls played in the guest room for nearly an hour when Ella brought me a torn garment. “Gammie, will you fix this for me?” she asked. She placed the tiny top on the arm of the chair where I was knitting. She ran to my room for my small crochet kit, a roll of tiny crochet hooks with a spare set of scissors. Tali came in to watch as I caught the stitch that had come unraveled in the top and pulled the stitches through to “re-knit” the runner. I used heavy duty sewing thread to secure the final stitch in place then reinforced the seam on the shoulder. Tali was intrigued again. 

Tali gave up dolls for stitching. I showed her the box I had put under a side table when it arrived. She hadn’t stitched in nearly a week she told me. She pulled out her loom and started winding yarn around the pegs. We stitched while Tony surfed the internet on my lap top. When she was done, and she tied off the little hat then left the loom for the new things I had put in her box. She pulled out an icord loom. Ella went back to my room for her own loom and yarn. Ella liked making socks and started a new one with some new yarn I had placed in her basket last week. I showed Tali how to use the little loom and told her how many rows she needed to make. The house was quiet for another 20 minutes while Tali mastered the little loom and it’s small pegs. I asked for her box when she had the right number of rows. I put a life line in the loops then pulled them from the cord loom. I pulled out a sock loom like Ella’s and we transferred the 5 small stitches from the cord loom to the sock loom I had the loom adjusted to make only 10 stitches I showed Tali how I put one loop on every other peg. I told her to make 2 rounds. We increased every 3rd row by doubling the stitches then I showed Tali how to go back and forth instead of round for the leg holes for the back legs. We made up the tummy section with back and forth stitches too. I showed her a bigger cord loom for the legs later. This one was hand made by Rich for Tali. Ella had one too but she wasn’t into elephants she told me one day. Tali stitched round and round for the girth of the elephant then started the front leg holes. We had been stitching for a few hours. Tony had gone to the kitchen to make lunch while “His girls” worked. 

Tony called us to the kitchen table. He asked us to wash the fuzz off our hands and faces then sit. Cucumber sandwiches and grilled cheese sat on platters for us to choose from. He served the girls and I made cups of strawberry punch for them. Tali sighed after lunch. She admitted her sunburn was hurting again. We doctored her poor skin and suggested the girls watch a movie instead of stitching after lunch. We found a movie with horses and cowgirls to satisfy both Ella and Tali. I pulled out a sketch book from the side table and designed a quilt block about the morning. 

I had a loom, and an elephant’s tail with a pick and a ball of yarn. I would embroider the metal part of the pick. I noted on the sketch. I had a bolt of fabric with balls of yarn on it. I would applique the ball on the block as well as the loom, the pick handle and the elephant’s tail. I asked Tali to sign the sketch for me, so I could transfer her writing to the block with embroidery. On the back I listed the fabrics I would use for the other blocks. I would put the park block on the top row. An airplane and car would take up the next one. I had a swimming pool block and one of a boat on the water. I designed one for the Tulsa Zoo and decided to put a flying geese block beside it and one of a real elephant then a transfer print of Tony and Tali on the train. I knew I had at least 2 more rows to add so I put one to represent Baltimore. Tony suggested one for Washington DC. Then he wanted one to match his NCIS hat. He said he would gather a few signatures for that square for me. He suggested he send me some pictures from England to choose from then and then he wanted the final square to be a door with their apartment number on it and their road below the door. He and I talked about the door and I told him I would dye the fabric to match the color. 

Tony talking about Baltimore and Washington, DC saddened me. I became quiet and went back to my knitting I realized that my own elephant didn’t have any front leg holes and the beading pattern was all messed up. I put in a lifeline and ripped it back to the point where I started making mistakes. I put it away then. I pulled out my own pair of socks on a magic loop and worked on those for a while. Tommy, Jo, Kevin and Rich arrived with the groceries for supper. Everyone including the girls helped with prep around the kitchen table. Tony and Jo made plans for a trip to Oklahoma City to the Kilpatrick Center. I begged off because I needed to check on my shops at least one day this week. Aunt Jackie and Sr. came in for the meal. They planned another 2 days at the lake asking if they could keep the girls in the RV over-night. I cautioned them about Tali’s sunburn. The oldest couple promised to be more vigilant with the sun screen. With 3 more days planned we all realized that the Di’Nozzo trip to Sand Springs would be ending soon. Sr. would be traveling with Tony and Tali to see friends between middle America and Paris. They would be back for Thanksgiving and again for Christmas but those were months away. 

Sr. suggested they stay until Labor Day like they had planned. Kevin suggested we road trip with them so my school age boys could “see more of America.” I asked them if they might get bored making the same trip twice since we were doing that for Christmas Break. They told me they would plan different routes for the trips. Aunt Jackie and Sr. agreed. I said I needed to make some arrangements for the shops if I was going to be gone again. I would do that tomorrow. Kevin and Rich had chores to do around the house then they were going back to the lake for the rest of the week. We all went to the movies that night. We ate movie snacks and teased each other about movie trivia. My sons warmed up to Tony that night. I was proud of them accepting him as just another part of our extended family not as a replacement for their dad. Who knew what the next week would bring. I crocheted alone in bed that night saying prayers with every move of the hook.


	11. chapter 11

At work the next day I checked the work schedules for my staff against school meetings and vacations. I realized the shops were fully staffed for the next 2 weeks. I had to be back before September 13th so I could fulfill my volunteer hours with the senior citizens at their center that day. I loved that day, that’s when we culled out material for charity quilts and restocked the yarn closet for winter accessories for the homeless. While I was sitting at the computer in the picture frame shop, the director of Sand Springs Community Services found me. James asked me to stop off in Mena, Arkansas to see about a sporting goods store that was closing. He asked me to see if there were any boots, parkas and sleeping bags left. He also asked if I could negotiate a shipment to be sent back to Sand Springs. I smiled and agreed. I already had an in down there. An uncle called about the sale. He and his hunting group had bought the store out of provisions for the homeless. I was supposed to go down there and get it. Instead I would arrange for transport back up here from there. I texted Kevin to include Mena, AR in our travel plans. He texted back that London, AR was already on there so, we would just go further south. London meant that we were on a tomb stone rubbing expedition again. There were a few new markers I wanted to photograph for my family tree page. 

I found myself wishing I had gone to OKC that day. I could do something that was on my bucket list. I could spread my father’s ashes on his walk from his last home to Remington Park and Casino. Part of his ashes were buried with his parents already. I felt guilty about keeping some and guiltier that they were in a miniature whiskey barrel. He was an alcoholic, so it had seemed fitting when my late husband had brought the cask home. I called my mother in law and told her we were coming that way next week. I asked her if she wanted to come home for a while from September to November. She said she would think about it. She wished us safe travels then we rang off. I finished all my book keeping for the shops. Then I sent each of the managers on late lunches and covered their breaks. The picture framing shop needed some frames assembled so I used the vises and glue to attach 2 sides of 8 frames. I pulled discontinued samples from the wall where they were displayed. I put in an order for more supplies. When the manager came back I told him about all the things I did. He was happy for the long lunch and hugged me before he sent me next door. 

In the quilting shop I took the manager’s place at the long arm to finish a display quilt. I moved slowly in the pattern that had been selected. Once I had the pattern memorized, I started moving faster. I was done and removing the quilt from the machine when the quilt shop manager came in. She was happy to have the extra time for lunch errands today too. I moved on to the yarn shop. This manager didn’t want to leave the shop, so I insisted she move to one of the comfy chairs near the front window and work on a project. Her project I told her not a sample for the shop. She sat in the chair and worked on a baby blanket for her first grandchild due at Christmas. After ordering more stock I joined her sitting in the other comfy chair. I did work on some samples for the stock. Swatches to see how the yarn would work up. The rest of each skein would go in my stocking bag. My co-worker teased me about having so many knitted baby socks on my Christmas trees. I told her that each year I would loose a dozen or more to visitors that, “just loved that little stocking.” She suggested we create a tree in the shop of yarn ornaments. I told her to get the charity knitters to each make one and we would put a name on it of a person that needed extra help for Christmas. Instead of angels or toys we would have a soft goods tree. I would coordinate it with Sand Springs Community Services. We traded stories for a while as well. She laughed at me and my elephant and ripping it out. We could tease about things like that because there wasn’t a stitcher I knew that hadn’t made a ridiculous animal or made up critter that didn’t vex them for a while. At 5:30 a stitching class started gathering. I moved to my final stop in the building. I moved to the café on the corner. I picked up some chicken fried steaks for my household and Aunt Jackie’s. Tonight we would be without my oldest son and his girls. 

Arriving home with my carry out, I met Kevin in the driveway. He helped me bring in the food and set the table. Tony, Tali, Sr and Aunt Jackie followed us in. I insisted they just sit so I wouldn’t be tripping over extra people near the cabinets. Kevin told us all about the dueling banjo moment in his guitar class that day. Rich gave us a lesson on his chemistry experiment as well. Tali took her turn talking about the museum and the experiments she did. My boys were attentive to her and she loved it. She insisted on sitting between them. Since they had a niece they were well skilled in helping a little kid at the table. Tony was relieved to have the help. I smiled at Tony over the table and he returned my smile. Talk turned to the lake. Aunt Jackie asked about extra life jackets for Tali and the boys. I told her the boat had a store of extra jackets. I also passed Rich some money to rent kayaks if he wanted some alone time. Rich mentioned he had already met a few friends at the lake. I handed him a little more cash for hanging out with his friends. I asked Kevin if he needed any money. Kevin said no, his work this summer had him flush. Tony offered Sr. and Aunt Jackie cash as well but they turned him down. We ate in silence for a few minutes before Kevin asked to be excused. He wanted to go to the store before he drove his brother to the lake. Rich asked to go as well. I told him to use his debit card at the store not the cash he had. 

With the boys gone, Tony and Tali went to pack for the lake. Aunt Jackie and Sr. followed to do the same. Tali came running back to me with questions about working on her elephant. I told her I would be there tomorrow night. She should take her other looms and work on hats or squares until I got there. The little girl smiled and hugged me tight then ran out the back door and across the alley. I watched her climb the outside steps to the back door. I sighed, then went back to loading the dishwasher. I was knitting my elephant when Tony let himself in the back door. He came to the livingroom and kissed me then asked if I wanted a glass of something. I told him I had a glass already. He asked if he could open a bottle of wine. I agreed. I listened to him softly humming as he pulled out a bottle he had sent me from Paris a week after I left. I heard him looking for the glasses so I told him where to find them. “It’s a good thing you are tall, you would break a leg getting to these glasses.” I laughed. “Tommy helped me put the dishes away the year we moved in. He didn’t want his younger brothers being tempted by the thin glass and break any of them.” Tony turned on the water so I knew he was rinsing the dust out of the glasses. 

Tony settled on the couch with his glass. He placed the bottle and my empty glass on the tray I kept on the ottoman beside the tall glass I had filled with an amber liquid. Tony cocked an eyebrow at me then looked at the glass. I told him it was regional whiskey. He smiled, “Hitting the hard stuff already?” I shook my head, “I’m just sipping and I added more pop than whiskey. It’s my mom’s night off treat.” Tony nodded his acceptance and asked about plans for the evening. The sun was going down on my window filled room so I used a remote to lower the shades and suggested a movie. Tony shook his head. He wanted to see more of my work so we moved to my bedroom. Thunder rolled as I turned on the task lighting. Tony sat the tray with the glasses and bottle on my work table behind me. I moaned that the storm might wash out our lake goers. Tony said he already knew that the lake goers were making provisions for the rain. “They found an empty cabin for Dad, Aunt Jackie and Tali. Your boys will sleep in the rv. If it continues they will take in a movie or two and hit an arcade, then swing by the yarn shop to indulge the habit you instilled in my daughter.” I smiled up into his eyes and asked what he wanted to see. He turned to my bed and said “Where are your new blocks?” I took his hand and sat him at the drafting table. I pulled a box from the book shelf beside him and laid it on the table. I removed the lid and there were pieces of thin wood in the box. “It’s like a puzzle at this point. I’ll lay it out on the table cut the jagged edges tape it together with artists tape then glue it to a board.” Tony had started pulling pieces out and tried to figure out what block it was. There were lots of little pieces in the box. I pulled up another chair and started helping him I laid out the edge pieces as the scene of the park where we met came together. He was amazed at the detail I had in the wood. Then I showed him the quilt block I had made as well. His eyes welled up with tears. He had seen my sketch book but this was more tangible. He reached out to pull us together. His chair moved on it’s wheels and soon his side was nestled between my thighs. He kissed me lightly there at my drafting table. “You are amazing.” He whispered in my hair as we hugged.


	12. Chapter 12

Early the first morning of our trip we loaded the final items into the vehicles. We were taking Aunt Jackie’s Caddy and I had rented a 15 passenger van. The boys claimed a row each. Tali’s carseat was located in the row behind the driver. I drove until we were in Arkansas. Kevin took a turn getting us to the sporting goods store and the cemetery in London, AR. Getting back on the road before dinner we stopped to eat in Little Rock. After dinner, Tony drove the van we had began calling the Beast. Sr. wanted to ride with him. Aunt Jackie wanted to be with Sr. I was relegated to the follow car.   
Driving alone in Aunt Jackie’s Cadillac, I was blaring my tunes from the aux input on the stereo. I could see Tony looking back from the large van we hand rented. He was amused at the faces and motions I would do along with my music. At the next rest stop he convinced Aunt Jackie to drive the large machine and joined me in the land yacht. Once again I was blaring MY music through the custom speakers. I donned my sunglasses and would sing along then shoot him looks over the top of the frames. The humidity had grown as we traveled south east and I had changed from my usual shirt and cargo shorts to cutoffs and a tank top. It was startling to other drivers to pass the Caddy and see a middle age but barely dressed chick in the driver’s seat instead of a well dressed retired gentleman or lady. As I moved with the music my shorts rode higher and higher on my hips. Tony was mesmerized by the extra flesh showing from ragged hem to my toes. I was driving barefoot with the cruise control on 4 car lengths behind the van. Eventually Tony couldn’t resist, he ran the knuckles of his hand up the bared flesh of my outer thigh. He visibly swallowed and licked his lips. I shifted and he realized that my tank top had rolled up to just below my breast so my abdomen was bared as well. The loose clothing puckered away from my body in enticing places as well, leaving more exposed flesh at my cleavage and along the top of the shorts. Tony started talking fast and about nothing really. 

I shot him a cool glance and he quieted so I could continue to sing to the music. We were half an hour away from the next reservation for the night. My music and how I vamped for him singing along was torture for Tony. He would sigh and shift in his seat. Finally he pulled a pair of Aviator sunglasses from a case on the dash. Donning the eyewear he shifted sideways in his seat and watched me behind the shades. I could see every intake of breath and the beads of sweat gathering at the base of his throat. Pulling in to the Hotel I slipped on my sandals then slid out of the seat handing the keys to the valet. The young man also appreciated the display of skin and a bellman dropped one of the cases from the back of the car. The beginning guitar riffs of Cherry Pie by Poison were still on the stereo when I bent back into the car to disconnect my phone and turn the sound off. Sr. laughed at the new view the men were enjoying. Aunt Jackie clucked at me. “Young lady, you should know better than to wear your hoochie mama clothes to a place like this.” I lifted my shades from my eyes and let the older woman see me roll my eyes. Granted, I was acting 17 but this was my vacation too. Road trips were meant for stripped down wardrobes. I gave the woman an up and down look. She was in a tight tshirt and knee length shorts herself. She was showing more skin than she usually did at the beach. Tony threw an arm around my shoulders and growled an approval of my attire. Checking in the lobby was much cooler than the car had been and my tank top showed how my chilling body reacted to the temperature change. 

We moved upstairs to our suites. The boys and I had one suite while Tony, Sr., Aunt Jackie and Tali would share the one next door. My boys invited Tali to go swimming in the indoor pool. Aunt Jackie and Sr. went to supervise. Tony used the guise of deciding where we would eat to talk to me in my room. I smiled at him as he shut the door then he ducked his head to taste the salty warm spot at the base of my neck near my collar bone. We didn’t say a word. I just pulled him into my bedroom and onto the bed. As I pulled my cell phone from the back pocket of my shorts the playlist started again. I made to turn it off when Tony took it from me and placed it out of my reach. Wild Thing by Tone Loc started right after Brick House from the Commodores. Tony’s movements above me and inside me changed pace with the music. He used his strong arms to hold himself just a little higher from my chest so he could move his head to kiss and nuzzle. Tony held back for as long as he could then in a harsh whisper said “give it to me” My body reacted strongly to the instruction. I shattered around him as he spilled into me. The strength Tony had been using to hold back melted from him and he collapsed on me boneless and satisfied. “Never have I ever had foreplay last so long.” He said breathlessly, kissing my shoulder as he moved off of me. I laughed. “See what you miss when your music doesn’t have any words?” He nodded and sighed. I reached over him with my bare breasts in his face to retrieve my phone when Kid Rock came on. Tony held me over him to kiss and give attention to my chest while I moved the playlist from my music to his. He sighed in ecstasy and I settled over him, waiting. As Tony’s body rose to meet me the noise level in the shared common room of the suite rose too. The boys were back and wanted showers. 

Rich didn’t knock on my door just barreled in and went straight to the bathroom and the shower. Tony yelled at him that his manners were atrocious. The young teen just laughed and turned on the water. I shook my head and slid off of Tony and into the sheets. Tony retrieved his pants then moved to the door to the common room. He brought a bucket of ice water from the kitchenette crept into the bathroom and into the steam. A high-pitched scream came from the shower. As Tony retreated to my side laughing, I said. “I’m sorry Tony, he’s never had the notion that I would ever be without clothes since well, I really have never been this uninhibited during his life.” Tony thought for a second then he just shook his head. Hidden by Tony’s body and the bedspread, I dressed in my road clothes then walked Tony to the door. Kevin emerged from the other bedroom and gulped. “I guess Rich interrupted something.” I shot him a “you think?” glance then kissed Tony chastely telling him we would meet them in the lobby in 30 minutes. 

I accosted Rich coming out of my room. “Young man, you’ll be sleeping on the sofa tonight instead of getting dibs on the bed like you wanted.” Rich looked confused. “Dang mom, I didn’t see anything I had my towel up between you and my face. I wanted a shower and Kevin already had the other one.” “That’s not the point Rich. You’re supposed to knock when you come into my room, always. We’ve been discussing this for nearly 5 years. When are you going to remember that I need privacy too?” Rich hung his head in shame and sat in a chair near the main door. I sat on the coffee table at his knees and reminded him that he’s a grown man now and he doesn’t want me to walk in on him either. Rich looked at me with tears in his eyes. “I didn’t think that you would be doing something like that here. I thought you were too old for that.” “R, I hate to break it to you but Aunt Jackie isn’t too old for that so why would I be?” Rich looked repulsed for a second then burst out laughing. He was putting the pieces together about Sr. and Aunt Jackie. 

I locked the door to the bedroom before I took my shower. I dressed in appropriate clothes for the restaurant on the main floor of the hotel then led my boys down the hall to the elevator. The meal was boisterous because Tali told me everything the boys had done in the van in the 6 hours we drove across Arkansas. She had a long list. The things she knew weren’t appropriate to speak about in public she said in French. Tony scolded her but she continued to do it until he told her in Israeli that he would take her stitching away. Chastised she stopped talking altogether and we older people made plans for the next day. Our more immediate plan while in Memphis, we would visit Graceland and make a stop in Nashville.   
 


	13. Chapter 13

Another 2 days of driving we arrived in Washington DC. Kevin rode laying down in the back seat of the Cadillac because the hills made him car sick. Checking in to the hotels the last few nights had not been as fun as Memphis. Tony wasn’t keen on slipping into my bed each night after a teen boy on the sofa in my suite was asleep. He didn’t like sleeping on the sofa of the other suite any better. At the hotel in Washington he arranged for 3 bedroom suites for each family group but once again the boys and I were stuck with 2 bedrooms. Settling in for the night I asked if one of them wanted to switch rooms for the nights? Kevin volunteered to take the third bedroom in Aunt Jackie’s suite so that Tony could be with me. Rich balked so we decided they both would stay with Aunt Jackie and Tali would take the second room in my suite. Tali was excited to have stitching time with me each night because we could work on the elephants. Stitching hats with Aunt Jackie wasn’t as fun. 

Early Friday morning we met Timothy McGee and his family in Tony’s old apartment. A cousin to my boys picked them up at noon to tour the Washington Mall as I stayed with Tony playing with the babies and visiting with Delilah. At dinner time we all converged on Gibbs’ place for grilled steaks and sides Tim and Tony had made earlier. Gibbs and I talked over the time when I had met him and how the boys were doing without their dad. He remembered I had an older son. I confessed Tommy had tried to be a father the boys for a time but when fatherhood came to him he realized what he had been doing wrong. Gibbs complimented me on the boys. Tony had to share that Rich walked in on us in Memphis. Ellie was enamored with Tali. Torres, Jimmy, and Dr. Mallard kept me busy with questions about meeting Tony and my life in Oklahoma. “My dear, I wanted to thank you for allowing me to use your husband’s case study in my book.” I ducked my head and whispered, “you’re welcome but could we not talk about that with my boys around?” Ducky agreed. Kevin had been listening to the music in the background and yelled, “Hey mom it’s your song.” Garth Brooks was crooning Rodeo and Rich pulled me into a dance move then twirled us around ‘til I was in Kevin’s reach and he took over. Another spin put me in Torres’ grasp and he finished the song with me singing along in his accented English. Tony had a dark look of jealousy in his eyes when the dance ended. I thanked Nick and he picked up McGee’s daughter and took her for a spin while Jimmy danced with his own wife, Gibbs danced with Jimmy’s daughter and Kevin had Tali in his arms. Ellie and Ducky started dancing so Tony and I joined in with McGee’s boy in my arms as well. Rich wandered off for a pop rolling his eyes. 

I caught up with Rich and coaxed him to line dance with me, Torres, Ellie, Jimmy and Brina. Rich was laughing and breathless when the dance ended and we all got back to our conversations. Tali came to me yawning and apologized for skipping stitching time “danight” I pulled her up in my lap beside Tim’s twins and I rocked the little ones and my special girl as I sang along with the radio. A cover to Skynard’s Simple Man was on my phone too and I thumbed it onto the play list with lullabies. I rocked and sang to the little ones until Tali got down and Jimmy’s daughter got up with me. Tali got in Ellie’s lap next and sang one of the lullabies in Israeli. I switched the phone to the acoustic version of the lullaby and she started over. The men who had known Ziva were all near tears when she was done. The party broke up at the ending notes of Tali’s solo. Jackets and dishes were gathered. Gibbs stood on the porch of his empty house calling goodbyes to everyone. Tony drove the van back to the hotel. We talked softly as Tali dozed in the seat behind us. 

Tali was rested when we arrived in the suite I would share with her and Tony. We took advantage of her rest and put in our stitching time working the head of her elephant. Tony watched the news and checked his email. As Midnight neared he insisted Tali bathe and go to bed. I backed him up then took the glass of wine he offered when I was finished tucking Tali into bed with her music playing on the player I bought for her. Tony and I settled on the sofa to watch a movie but necking prompted us to go to our bed instead. 

Climbing on top of Tony, I made good on the ride I wanted to start days before. Instead of leaning forward with my breasts swinging in Tony’s face, I bowed my back and rested my hands on the bed near my feet. Tony sat up supporting my upper body with his arms and still lavished my chest and breasts with his kisses and nuzzles. He pushed my upper back up so I could kiss him and he pulled me down so he could lay prone beneath me. The movement thrust him deeper inside me and we both gasp in the new delicious sensation. I rocked with small motions over him keeping the deep contact as he moved in counterpoint. The slow deliberate strokes between us brought out his release and my body reacted to his change. I spasmed around him in boneless bliss as he continued to move within me. Tony refused to stop. 

He rolled us to our sides and maneuvered to a better thrusting position where his thumb could touch my clitoris. He softly stroked my tender nub as he continued to push into me. His hardness never faded. He teased shudder after shudder from me applying ice when I became too tender to touch. He moved from one hand to the other and bit at my breasts and belly as I came again and again. I begged for nearly an hour for him to release me. He rolled me over to my stomach and gained access from behind me. Again fingering my clit and thrusting harder against my g spot in the domineering position he moaned loudly in a final release. He did not stop touching me when he leaned over my back to rest. Again he applied ice to my nub with one hand as he moved me from face down to on my side with him behind me. His erection was nestled between my cheeks and thighs and his hips kept moving as he pulled one of my legs up and swung it over his legs. He fingered me over and over again biting on my shoulders and the back of my neck. 

Spreading my legs further, Tony kept one hand on my clitoris and fingers of the other hand in my vagina. He moved slightly and I was so wet that he was able to slide into my anus. He moved very slowly and begged to be allowed to stay just for a second, just for another second. He never really moved much deeper than his penal head when he felt me spasm in orgasm from his fingers. He exploded in me for the final time. My spasms pushed him out of my colon and his explosion continued to spurt over our legs and the bed for long minutes. I lay there with mixed emotions about the moment before. Tony kissed me, but I couldn’t respond the way I normally did. He moved to the side of the bed then went to the bathroom for a washcloth.


	14. Chapter 14

Tony returned with towels and washcloths and proceeded to wash every inch of me. I was stiff from the invasion, so he plied my muscles with lotion. Over and over again he worked my muscles asking me if I was feeling alright. I couldn’t speak through the thoughts tumbling through my head. Once again his hands found my tender nub and he worked to bring more spasms from my apex. I pulled away from him and pulled a small bag from my suit case. I tied on a string bikini top and poured a liquid from a long thin bottle between my breasts. I pulled a longer round item from my bag and laid it between Tony’s feet. I kneeled between his thighs and pulled his penis between my breast behind the band of my tiny top. I moved and moved against him until he was hard and was asking if I could lick his glands as they poked from between my breasts. I looked him in the eye and said no. I kept moving and moving fondling his balls as his excitement grew. I moved my torso just enough to press the small vial into his anus. The shape and size was just right for massaging his prostate. Tony stiffened all over and I begged for just a few more seconds there. I pushed deeper into him and turned the small finger sized item from side to side. His knees flew up to give me more access. 

His breathing turned from surprise to full pleasure and I stopped moving anything. I withdrew my hands from his body. I turned on the pulsing and throbbing vibrator and placed it in my vagina then I began rocking again with Tony’s penis between my breasts my hands bringing him enormous pleasure in his anus and around his balls. When his moans and groans became louder and very insistent untied my top and let his penis lay between us as I thrust into him over and over. When I could feel his orgasm building between us I made one final thrust against his ass and yanked the little toy away quickly. Tony’s explosion from the sensation was much more forceful than he expected. His cum spread all over his chest reaching his face. It was all over my chest and face. He was mindless in fulfilled passion laying there gasping for air. He had his hands in my hair so I was pinned there while my own magic helper moved within my vagina. He felt me orgasm again without him and Tony sobered. I slid off the end of the bed and onto my feet. Tony watched me take my long purple toy from between my legs and walk to the bathroom. I locked the door behind me and I slid into the soaking tub filled with bubbles. 

I soaked in the tub until the water chilled. I moved to the shower and rinsed the bubbles from my body washed my hair and scrubbed every inch of myself to a glowing pink color. I emerged from the bathroom in a hotel robe and went to the bar in the common room for a belt of liquor. I came back with a glass half full of vodka. I set it down on the bedside table and rummaged through my suitcase for some sleeping attire. Pulling out panties and a long sports jersey I dressed beside Tony’s still naked and stunned body. I swallowed another snort from the glass then Tony took it from me and drank the last of it. He gasp in surprise when the burn hit him. “Good Stuff” I said then knocked the toys and extra stuff from my side of the bed, climbed under the covers and turned off the lights. Tony still laid beside my rigid back. Eventually I felt him get up from the bed, heard him shower and dress in the bathroom then he took a pillow from the bed and went to the sofa. He did not shut the door between us. I rolled to the middle of the bed wadded the bed covers in my arms and cried softly until sleep over took me. Tony put on a good front the next morning. He talked to Tali and the family as normal but his attentions to me were skittish. 

By lunch my nerves were wearing thin so I suggested Tony take Tali visit the other people he wanted to see on his own. I was going to do some shopping then turn in early for my drive to New York the next day. My boys were once again with their cousin so I shopped alone. I found some new work blouses and a few new under garment items. I bought a dress for dinner that had a plunging neckline and a even lower plunging back. I had my makeup and hair professionally done. I stopped off to see a few friends as they had an early dinner at a local bar then I returned to the suite to dress. My suite was empty because I told the family the reservation was for 7 and they had left to be there on time. In reality the reservation was for 7:30 and I arrived just as they were being seated. 

I walked through the room and was met by one of my friends that couldn’t meet with his coworkers earlier. We embraced and he was seated beside me, between Tony and myself. Aubrey introduced himself to Tony and Sr. The boys knew him and so did Aunt Jackie. Aubrey was very attentive to me and loudly flattering about the dress. We talked about everyone’s adventures of the day. Aubrey chimed in about things he knew about. Tony grew quiet over the evening. At the end of dinner, I invited Aubrey to join us in my suite. I had things I wanted to show him. I took the cab with my guest to the Hotel. Tony and Tali followed us into my suite. She sat in her place with her crafting bag and began stitching. I pulled out a few bags and started talking to Aubrey about them. Tony sat stiffly in the chair opposite Aubrey and watched us fawn over the fabrics and fibers I picked up. 

When Tony realized Aubrey was a knitter and Aubrey started talking about the socks he had on Tony laughed. Instantly he apologized for the outburst. “I don’t mean to make you think I was laughing about you being a knitter. I just realized why you didn’t meet with your coworkers. It would have been messy to have all of the fabric and fiber out on the table at the bar. Then my mind went to actually picturing it and the thought struck me as funny.” Aubrey and I smiled. We had had one such meal one time and with Aubrey’s mentor and it was a mess. Tony relaxed as Aubrey began to talk about his girlfriend and the trip she was on. I told him I had talked to her recently and she was stopping over in Tulsa on her trip back to Washington at the end of the month. Tali interrupted a few times with decreasing difficulties but Aubrey was able to talk her through things just as well as I did. Finally Tony took Tali off to bed and I walked Aubrey to the lobby. We hugged and said goodbye then I turned back to the elevator and found Tony waiting on me. He asked me to join him at the bar.


	15. chapter 15

I sat with Tony at the bar. “I know I hurt you the other night. I wanted to say I was sorry for taking advantage of the situation. My feelings for you haven’t changed. I just don’t know if it’s fair to label it right now when I’m headed one way on my vacation and you’re headed another.” He took my hand in his, “I hope you can forgive me for my mistake.” I looked at him feeling sad that he was saying good bye this way. “Tony, you’re forgiven, please forgive me for exacting a little revenge. I’m so sorry we have to part this way. If you don’t mind, I’m ready to go back to the suite and go to sleep.” I stood and Tony placed money on the bar for the drinks we did not taste. We were quiet on our way up. We walked down the hall to the suite. I let myself into my suite and saw Aunt Jackie sitting in a chair while Tali slept on the couch. Tony thanked her and waited until she had gone to her own suite before moving to the room Tali usually slept in. I watched him close the door then I went to my room to shower before bed. I changed into my new silk pajamas before getting in bed with my knitting. I ran my hands back and forth making stitches while I cried. My door was open so Tali waking to find herself alone in the main room hurried into my room and launched herself into my bed. She made herself a little nest of extra pillows and lay back to rest again. She was humming so I started singing the song she was humming. 

I heard her deep sigh when she was asleep. I put my knitting in my project bag and turned off my light. Early in the morning Tony found Tali curled up next to me. He slid into the bed between us putting an arm around Tali then pulling my arm under his head. He slid into sleep as I rolled against him and put my other hand on his chest. Aunt Jackie found us there asleep late in the morning. She was chastising me because I should have been on the road to New York by the time she woke me. I told her I was staying one more day. “Tali and I need to finish her elephant.” Tony arose, dressed and went to fetch breakfast for “his girls” He recruited my boys to help him. They came back with all kinds of goodies. Sr returned from an errand with a gaming system, controllers and the latest games. Tony challenged the boys to rounds while Tali and I stayed in my bed and stitched. We moved got the trunk finished after about an hour. While Tali used her loom, I had been making her legs and ears. I sewed them on then I stitched in eyes and a mouth. The little girl was thrilled. She hugged me hard when we were done. 

Once Tali had shown off her new achievement she asked me to start a new pattern for her. I pulled a little bag from beneath my bed and handed it to her. It was a how to crochet book and a set of hooks and some yarn. We went through the pictures and tried the steps then I pulled another book from my project bag. It was filled with crocheted creatures. I showed her that I had 2 copies. I would start sending videos about the patterns and pages the next week. I promised her that she could take those hooks on the plane and could crochet on the way to England and on the train home. She hugged me again and we spent time working with the hooks until lunch. 

We met Tony’s friends at the zoo for the afternoon. Tony and I held hands and traded innuendos and silly sayings. We once again converged on Gibbs for the evening cook out but Tony and I did not dance that night. When we returned to our rooms for an early turn in, Tony took Tali to Aunt Jackie’s suite for the night. He showed Rich that the sofa had a sleeper bed in it. He told the boys good night and happy trails. He kissed me on the cheek at the door then on the hand. He held my hand against his chest as he spoke, “I think I could love you forever if things were different.” “I think I could too, maybe Kevin will want to go to college abroad.” Tony got a wistful look in his eyes and kissed me softly on the lips before turning to go. He hadn’t let go of my hand, so our fingers slowly slid out of each other’s grasp when he said, “Safe travels and Fair winds. Then he stepped into the next suite. Kevin said, “I’m sorry mom.” As I closed the door. “There’s nothing for you to be sorry about kiddo.” I responded. Kevin started to say something then looked lost for words. “Well good night then.” He retreated to the other bedroom as I said good night and I love you. Rich asked for a hug. I gave him a hug with a good night and I love you. Rich was making bird noises as I went to my room. I changed into a new pair of flannel jammies for the night made sure all my things were packed for leaving the next day then climbed into bed. I was so tired I just fell right into sleep. The morning came to early and my boys and I took off in a smaller vehicle to head to New York and their grandmother.


	16. chapter 16

Darling, 

I’m so sad that you and I had to part. Tali misses you just as much. We all miss you and the boys. I hope your travels are easy. We’ll all be praying for your safe return home. 

T.

I read the email at a rest stop in New Jersey. The boys and I were taking our time driving up because Grandma and her host sister were not quite ready for us. We took a long afternoon in Boston. The trip through Jersey was full of fun stops. We were only a few hours away from Rock Hill. I called to give the family an expected arrival time. I got the boys back in the car and we were back on the road. We pulled in shortly before bed time. Kevin was car sick as usual. Rich was being a sweet heart about it though. He made sure Kevin drank enough water or ginger ale. He kept handing him napkins and crackers. Kevin said hello to his grandmother and great aunt then went straight to the couch to sleep. Rich followed me to the guest room. We unpacked some things then he chose to bunk in the floor of my room instead of the living room. I had a glass of milk with the adults before going to bed. “Aunt Sara was worried about you getting here late again.” “I know, the gps didn’t say anything about construction but we hit it just past Fair Oaks. We crawled through the last 2 hours. My knee is so sore from holding the brake. If I had known the back roads from Fair Oaks, I would have taken them but the gps had nothing. I was going on memory.” 

Uncle Walter teased me about my memory but Aunt Sara reminded him he forgot her birthday. The were still bickering while Grandma Mooney followed me to check on Kevin. She patted Rich’s head before turning to her own room. I pulled out my lap top to write Tony back. 

Sweet T.

Thank you for the prayers. We took an extra day getting here. Great Aunt Sara and Grandma Mooney still had my bed and the sofa buried under Christmas gifts they needed to ship out. I know it’s only September. Our flight is at 10 on the 11th. I hate flying that day but if I want to get back before the 13th I have to go that day. I guess I should have opened with I miss you too. I miss Tali. We miss you all as well. It will be hard to get through these next few months with out Aunt Jackie but I’m hoping you will come with her for Thanksgiving and Christmas like you planned. I have already started the videos for Tali so she will be happy. Look for the first one on the 11th. I’ll be dreaming of you until I see you again.  
Me.

 

We made our flight, layover and connections just fine. We were home late on the 11th. Mooney took an upstairs room when she saw all of Tali’s things all over the downstairs bed. We all retired to our rooms. We all slept late the next day. I was unpacking brunch from the delivery service when Mooney and the boys came downstairs. She made a cup of instant coffee then sat down. She started asking me things about Tony and Tali. The boys answered her for me. “Tony is great. He knows a lot about movies, just like mom. He makes wicked snacks too. The conversation moved to the trip. Rich showed Mooney a picture from his phone. She inhaled quickly. “I know isn’t she a knock out?” I looked at the picture over their shoulders. It was me in the daring dress from our final night in D.C. I rolled my eyes. “Thank you sweetie but please don’t share that picture with your friends.” “too late” he called as he sprinted out the back door. Mooney laughed. “Better that picture that one of you on the toilet” I agreed. 

“How serious was this thing with Tony, Debby?” “Mooney, it couldn’t be too serious, there has always been an end date. I mean, we saw each other in France, became friends through chats and emails. We took things slow because of the boys. Tyler has been gone for a long time. It’s just hard with the long-distance thing. I did it with Tommy’s dad because he was deployed. I don’t think I could maintain a relationship when the other person chooses to live across the Atlantic. It’s not like I could move. Not right now anyhow. I just don’t know. Things could change this week, next week, next month. After the whole family has been shoving men at me. I think you should be happy I’m considering dating again.”

Mooney didn’t drop the subject. I did my best to avoid answering questions I didn’t have answers for. Finally, she had a dinner at another son’s house, so she took an Uber over there. One of my nephews would drive her home since he was going fishing with my boys early the next morning. I took the opportunity to work on a video for Tali then I went to the sewing machine to quilt for a while. Tony called at midnight. Mooney was back making herself tea when the chime came through. She looked in my room disapprovingly before going up the stairs. I told Tony I couldn’t talk and ended the call. I went to bed thinking of the work for the next day.


	17. Chapter 17

The gathering with the senior citizens to inventory our crafting closet was so much fun. Families brought food and we had people of all ages untangling then rolling balls of yarn, others separated the colors into bins. We had people folding fabric, with others separating it as well. In the back of the auxiliary closet we found 7 nearly finished quilts and 12 tops. We sat those aside to take to the shop to finish. Late in the day the Fed-Ex driver came in with a huge smile on his face. He asked for me. “I have a big delivery for you, it was addressed to here. He asked me to come with him. He opened the back of his ground truck. The truck was full of boxes addressed to me. Men and women came out to see then started a passing line to move smaller boxes into the building. Once the driver had the small boxes out. He started on the large ones. He handed me an envelope. I sat on the hood of a nearby car to read.

(y/n), 

I am Mary Winchester of Lawrence, Kansas. The quilt shop in our town went under and when my husband and I bought the building I found all these things left in the shop. I heard from my daughter in law that you were part of a community quilting group at the Senior Center. She helped me arrange for shipping, so it would arrive on this day. In memory of your Mother. I hope you can put all this to use. 

M.W.

I was in tears when I looked up. The driver was moving the base of a long arm quilting machine out of his truck. There were 2 bases. The main group of women gathered around me with tears too. We hugged each other as we wiped our eyes. I read the letter to them. One woman gasped, “Another Mary, another M.W. how fitting on her birthday.” I was speechless. We spend the rest of the day assembling the machines and setting up a new cutting table with places to sit sewing machines when needed. Late that evening the boys and I went across town to have dinner with Tommy, Jo and Ella. We talked about my mother and parents in general. We hugged good bye when Ella was headed to bed. We got into my truck and left the neighborhood. As I was crossing through the intersection at Mingo and 51st a semi-truck broad sided the Raptor. 

I was in a coma for the first two days. I came to with the boys in the room talking with the doctor about surgery. Tommy had my medical power of attorney, so he signed the paperwork, so the doctors could replace my left knee. When I came to after the surgery, I was very cranky. The nurse wanted me to walk but my left shoulder hurt a lot, so I fought her. She wasn’t taking any crap from me and she told me so. “You went through this a few years ago. You know you have to be walking after the surgery or the muscles and ligaments won’t loosen up. Now get your lazy butt off that bed. My boys were there so they giggled. I looked at them and said, “I won’t wear the house coat and I don’t have on underpants boys.” Tommy took them out of the room. I was so nauseated from the medications that when I got back into bed, I sent the boys home. I couldn’t reach out to anyone that night. My cell phone was destroyed in the wreck and I didn’t have my laptop. Tommy left me Jo’s phone number so she could come get me when I was released. I looked forward to going to bed at home. The boys knew the routine. I would sleep, they would stay home unless an adult was there to keep an eye on me. 

The first day, I slept a lot. I dreamt that Tony was there with me. He brought me water and gave me medications. We had conversations and he would hold me close. He scolded me when I got gruff with the kids or him. The boys would laugh at me when I told them I was dreaming about Tony. After nearly a week, I started coming out of the drugged haze. Tony was there in the bed with me. I cried seeing him. He wasn’t a dream the whole time. He was there. 

Tony held me as I cried. He soothed my tears, gave me a warm cloth for my eyes and promised he wouldn’t go away again. “My dad went to close up the Paris apartments. He’s having our things shipped so they should arrive any day. Tommy called your aunt. We were at the airport heading to England but we just rerouted ourselves here. We came in the day after your surgery, after you were home.” I was still crying big tears. Tony kissed a few away then kissed me deeply. He pulled a ring out of his breast pocket. The band was engraved inside and out. I am here and I always will be. I kissed him again but the pain from the movement was noticeable on my face. Tony gave me my medications then tucked me in again. I drifted off holding his hand against my heart.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to confess, the crazy dreams from the drugs were true. Although I was dreaming about work instead of my hobbies so each thing I did was related to answering a phone call, handling the paper I generated and shredding my notes. 
> 
> My second confession is, I don't have a pattern for the elephant that can be done on a loom. I can create one but it will have to wait until after Christmas, when I have the money to buy the sock loom. Until then, I am writing one to knit on double pointed needles or using the magic loop. Videos may follow.

Tony had to be careful sitting beside me in the bed. If he was in his running shorts and had his knees up, I would reach for more fabric in my sleep but actually be pulling at his package. When I pressed squares or needed a new piece for my wood inlay, I would take his hand and move it. He thought I was playing the first time I moved his hand. He said, I followed his arm down to his hand then moved it twice before getting it where I wanted it. He also became pretty good at getting me through the house in a drugged fog to shower, or out of the way so the cleaning lady could change the sheets. He and I would dance with the walker between us. One night Tony was laughing so hard he woke me. I had been knitting in my sleep, talking to Tali about our elephants. I wasn’t awake, my knitting was pulling at the hem on my sheet until I pulled the stitches out. “Oopsie” I said in my sleep, “I pulled too much yarn out.” I wound the strings from the hem into a ball then started on another hem. Another night, I was pulling on a quilt in my dreams trying to flatten out the batting. In reality, I was pulling on the welted edge of my mattress and using a lot of vulgar language. 

Three weeks after my surgery I saw the doctor at his office. Kevin drove us because Tony wasn’t ready for Tulsa traffic. Kevin stayed in the waiting room, but Tony followed us into the exam room and waited there when I went for my x-rays. I was cleared to drive but I had taken a pain pill, so Kevin was once again in the driver’s seat. Tony and I sat in back where Tony had me looking at things for the shops. I teased Kevin. He knew how to pay the bills at the shops, so he should have been handling those things. I used my new phone’s hot spot to log in on my new tablet and paid the bills for the shops and the house. I showed Tony what service to use to order groceries when he wanted them delivered. I showed him the other two sites I used to get staples for the house. I warned both me that my medication would keep me loopy for a few more weeks until I was finally off it, so I would forget things. Kevin promised to pay the bills when they came in. I called ahead, and we picked up food for dinner. While I was out there were three new beds delivered to the house. A twin was pushed up against the space between the bathroom and closet so Tali had her own bed when she didn’t want to stay in her room a full was on the other side of the room where two chairs used to sit so the boys could camp out and watch movies with us. A new television was added to the room.

A new movie was played each night for the next 6 weeks. Eventually I was able to get up from my favorite chair in the living room and the couch. The extra beds in my room left and my other furniture came back. I went back to sewing and making wood filet piece late in the evenings after the boys had gone upstairs and Tony had put Tali to bed. Tony and I had shared a bed the whole time, but I was too out of it to actually make love. On the 12th week of my recovery I had been off the pills for a few days, I asked Tony to bring me a bottle of wine from the cellar. Tali stayed at Aunt Jackie’s that night with Sr and the boys. Tony and I had the whole house to ourselves. 

We danced in the living room before watching movies on the couch. Between movies I went to our room to change. I slipped into a mid-thigh length nightie and matching thong. When I returned Tony had another bottle of wine. He stopped trying to open it when I walked into the room. He dropped it on the ottoman tray and it rolled across the furniture. I took 2 steps into the room before Tony rushed to me. Taking me in his arms he pushed me back into the bedroom. He ran his hands up my hips coming across the lacy top of the thong. He hooked one thumb into the fabric and heard a stitch pop. He looked stricken but the playful smile on my face gave him permission.   
He pressed me back into the bed and his hands started at my knees caressing the twin scars. He knelt on the floor between my knees then let his hands go up to my hips. He popped a few more stitches as he put both thumbs in the waist band. With a strong tug the band gave way behind my back and the lifted the scraps away from my body. It flew over his shoulder into my closet. Tony kissed the inside of one thigh then the other trailing kisses until he was pressing his tongue in my folds. He placed one foot on his thigh in the floor then lifted the other to the other thigh. He made sure my knees were supported and whispering words of love and beauty he nibbled and stroked my sex with his tongue until I was panting and had 2 hands full of hair. I pulled just a little too hard. Tony growled “Alright that’s enough roughness wench.” He swiveled me onto the bed in a move he had perfected when I was too drugged to do it myself. He placed a pillow under each knee for support again as he teased me about being an old lady. “You’re older than I am Mr. DiNozzo.” “So I am.” As he is taking off his clothes, his back spasmed. He pushes through the pain to help me take off my nightie. Still in pain he collapsed on me and I rubbed the knot away. 

Our proximity encouraged his erection to return after the spasm. He held me close as he entered me. He whispered promises of happiness mixed with ecstasy for the rest of our lives. The sentiments were returned by me ask I kissed and nibbled his chest and neck. We rocked gently together for long hours taking our time enjoying the bodily contact. When Tony could feel my release building, he pulled away. He stretched over me to his night stand where he removed a light blue ring box. Returning to his former position above me and inside of me. He purrs, “Sorry love, I wanted our next moment of bliss to be after this.” He uses his chin to open the box and leans off to his left side to take my left hand. Kissing the tips of each finger then my palm he asks “(y/n) will you do me the honor of becoming my wife, my partner and my love forever?” Tears slide down the sides of my face, into my ears as I whisper, “yes” he slides the diamond ring onto my finger. 

Kissing me to seal the deal he resumes the long slow strokes that drove me nearly over the edge earlier. I tilt my pelvis to increase the contact and pressure. Tony’s eyes roll back in his head as the pleasure increases for both of us. His need for release intensifies, burying his face in my neck he moans and speed up his stroking. I match each thrust with a strong pull of the muscles he wants to send into spasm. We push against each other and rock away with grunts and moans of joy. Tony’s climax over takes him his back arches away from me and he calls out my name, “MY (y/n), Always my (y/n).” He lowers his head to kiss me as I break free into my own climax around him. Breathless and fulfilled he leaves his forehead against mine. “You really said yes? You mean like forever? Not just to get to this point in our night?” “Tony, I promise you I am yours. As long as there’s stars in the sky I’ll be there, like the shadow by your side, I’ll be there.” Tony looked at me in the dim light, “I Swear right?” I smiled and kissed him again long and deep.


	19. Chapter 19

      Dear Friends and Family, 

      Please join (y/n) and Tony via internet link or in person on the Islas Marietas, December 31st, 

      The Wedding party will boat to the island from Hotel Mawimbi, witness the service and have a beach buffet before swimming and 

      snorkeling until the boats return to take us back to the hotel for the New Years Eve party of a lifetime. Say goodbye to the couple the 

      next day as they take a boat to the main land then fly off to Paris. 

      Special accommodation discounts are available for the week of Dec 30 to January 5th for attendees. Charter flights are available. Your 

      gift is your presence, do not bring anything more than yourself and the things you will need for a good time. 

      See you there, 

     RSVP to going@DiNozzoWeddingNYE.net 

Tony and Kevin sat at the kitchen table wording the email invitations. I had him send the same to the print shop at Utica Square so I could have written invitations made to hand out or mail. The sale of Sr. Paris apartment and auctions of a quilt collection was funding the wedding and subsidizing some of the guests. The Friday before the wedding I would close on the sale of the Cafe, Trophy shop, laundromat and the apartments above them to the owner of the Café. Those funds would pay for our time in Paris and stock for the yarn and quilting shop. We might even start sending art back to the gallery and frame shop. Tony was teasing me about the dress I would wear at the ceremony. When I showed him the swimsuit I would have on underneath the dress, he got a sly smile on his face. Gibbs had offered us a boat to stay on instead of being at the hotel with our guests. When I told him I usually got sea sick, he agreed to just use his boat to ferry guests to the ceremony and back.

Tony had friends in Los Angeles that were going to follow our lead and marry the next day at the hotel. We were looking forward to seeing people who were attending both ceremonies. Our boys, as Tony called them, were looking forward to the time away from the cold weather. Tommy and Rich were going to do a lot of fishing. Kevin, Jo, Ella and Tali were looking forward to swimming with the whale sharks. I couldn’t wait snorkel and let the waters help me work out some kinks in my leg muscles. Tony found a gym with an indoor pool in Paris to continue my water therapy for my knees.

We would be in Paris for 6 weeks. Aunt Jackie, Sr., Tali and the boys would come over after the first two weeks. We would fly home in time for the party I was throwing for the boys’ birthday. I sent Kevin to pick up supplies for supper that night. Once he was gone with Rich I pulled up the venue for their birthday party. I showed Tony the amenities for the guests of all ages. Tony and I put away our planning books and were making out on the couch when the kids came back bringing in friends behind them. We had 4 extra girls at Supper. Kevin and Rich scored points with their gal pals by cooking and cleaning up. Tommy, Jo and Ella came by to pick up Tali for a movie, the teen group joined them. Tony and I went back to making out on the couch while an old movie flickered on the screen beside the fireplace. Tony was leading me off to the bedroom when Tommy called to say Tali would be staying with Ella. We wished her a good night with our love then returned to making out against my work table until we heard the boys come in with their group of gals. Tony settled down at the desk to play on the computer and research a few Christmas gifts. I went to my cutting mat to make pieces to go in my next quilt. When I heard the girls leave and the boys go upstairs, I shut my bedroom door and the curtains behind my headboard. Tony and I went back to our making out on the bed while another movie played on the tv.

I interrupted Tony’s determination to get me out of my clothes to tell him I wanted a shower first. Tony kissed my scarred knees and decided he would join me. “Let’s put that shower chair to work.” I had swapped the shower chair I got from the hospital after my first knee surgery for a teak bench. It was wider and a little higher. I pushed Tony down on the bench and had him lie back. Adjusting the temperature of the water and how much steam would be coming out, I settled over Tony’s erection like I was straddling a motor bike. The bench was just wide enough I could put my hands on either side of Tony’s chest. I leaned down over him rocking my hips and lifting with my legs. The new position encouraged Tony to touch me as much as he could reach. We rocked and kissed. He nipped at my chest then I would return the favor. The heat and the motions brought us both to climax quickly. Tony sat up and slid back on the bench enough for me to lean back with my hands on the bench my legs over his thighs and his erection still inside me. He moaned then laughed. “I have never been able to breathe better after making love before.” We pulled apart and washed each other. We used wash clothes and fluffy towels to touch and caress before returning to our bed, naked. Tony held me close as we talked about the benefits of the new position. I promised him we would try that on the diving board and the ottomans in the living room some-time soon. Kissing and holding each other tight, we drifted off to sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

The wedding was fun and we had a great time on the island but Tali let us know the morning we arrived in Paris that she was not happy. Aunt Jackie only made hats. Ella was only interested in piecing doll clothes out of fabric. Tali wanted to finish her elephant. Tony and I flew back to get her 2 days later. On the flight back to Paris, Tali and I planned the ears and the feet. Instead of having our time alone, we went back to sitting in the park and walking places to make a little girl happy. Tali would often tell us to be quiet when she was trying to count stitches to know when to pull up a bead. We bought yarn and wrote patterns until the boys joined us. Their time in Paris with us was much of the same although they made friends easily so they had big kid outings at least twice a week.

 

Returning to Oklahoma at the end of our trip the boys surprised Tali with something special. In their time away from her they had made squares like washcloth patterns and gauge swatches with Ella, Jo and Tommy in knit and crochet. They shipped them home and Sr. with Aunt Jackie pieced them together. On her bed was a tapestry of squares from her new family. The headboard of the bed was the wooden scenes I had created to go in my headboard, along with framed photos of Tali’s life. It stretched all the way up to the ceiling. In the center was a picture of Ziva and Tony. Surrounding it was pictures of each of us with Tali and Tony. Tony was in awe of the love my boys had for his girl. 

After dinner Tali climbed up in my lap at the table with her elephant and a packet. She had her mother’s Star of David. She had some beads from my own elephant project. She had rings of metal that looked like my wedding ring and Tony’s. She told me where to stitch them and we moved to the couch to put the finishing touches on her Elephant. It was bejeweled and decked out with silk strands from my wedding dress and Tony’s tie. For the rest of the evening we worked on her elephant. 

“This elephant needs long eyelashes, ma mere.” Tali said. My Mother, in French she called me. Tony looked at me over her head. She had pet names for the boys too. Tommy was Grande because he was very tall. Kevin was Ketchium, a Hungarian word for little one, although he was only a little shorter than his older brother. Rich was the best, she called him Or, because he was rich like gold. Ella and Jo were her sisters, souer Ella and souer Jo which she would run together. The morning of the birthday party for the boys, Tali was checking her list of gifts. Since we had missed Tommy, Jo and Ella’s birthdays we had presents for them too. Tali ran back to her room looking for something. “Ma Mere, Abba, where is my knitting bag?” I checked under the table, and around the living room furniture. Tony found it in the hall just outside her door. She extracted 3 large envelopes from the tall bag. She laid them with the presents.

Tali watched the boys open their presents. She smiled hugely and laughed just as much as the rest of us. When the time came to open the presents she had made for the boys she was very quiet and serious. All of my son’s opened their envelopes together. Inside on parchment were family trees. “Oklahoma trees.” Tali said to them, “Where two or more trees grow together intertwining or growing around something that isn’t usually part of the tree.” Tali had taken time on my laptop with a drawing program to create trees for Tommy that had brought my roots and his father’s together then the branches expanded to bring in Tommy’s step mother and all of his other siblings, Jo and Ella and finally Tali was a stout little vine wrapping around the branches that meant the most to her with tendrils touching the others she had met and would get to know. Rich and Kevin had similar trees where Tommy and I had grown with their father creating the two of them then reaching for Tony and his little vine. 

The boys loved them and surrounded Tali with loving hugs, pats and a few tickles. The night went on discussing the trees. Sr. asked where Tali had gotten the idea. Jo spoke up then. “She said it was the tree in Aunt Jackie’s side yard.” There was a stout little pecan tree growing through a crepe myrtle. Mixed with the two bushes was a Clematis vine. Jo had told her that the pecan tree came from a grove that Rich and Kevin’s father tended. The crepe myrtle was from (y/n) grand mother’s house which had been brought from southeastern Oklahoma as a little plant too. The clematis was always there but needed the shelter of the bush to protect its roots. Tali interrupted, “I sent my drawings to Aunt Jackie when I was done. She had them printed and sent back to me.” Aunt Jackie added to the story, “They didn’t make it in time for the actual birthdays, so we planned on giving them today.” 

Tali, so proud of herself, moved from her own chair into my lap again. She leaned back against me and relaxed while I rocked slowly. When we moved from the table to the living room she settled between Tony and me. Tony pushed a lock of hair out of my face and twined it behind my ear. He whispered I love you to me as he leaned over his daughter to kiss my neck. Tali protested the squishing movement. Jo took her to her room with Tommy. They tucked the two girls into bed with the elephant and a new bunny. They tiptoed back out to the living room then through then up the stair case to the room reserved for them. The boys followed them after the movie. Sr. and Aunt Jackie left then as well. Tony and I sat watching the flickering fire in the fire place caressing. We traded whispers and kisses until Tony yawned. As we shut off the lights and walked down the hallway to our room a shadow moved across the porch and around the garage. A woman in dark clothing moved to the window of Tali’s room she touched the screen as she looked in at the young aunt and her older niece sleeping quietly in the bed with their knitted animals. A breath of wind blew the tendril of wavy hair across her face. She pulled it back as she turned away…


End file.
